• Lovstuhagen
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    7 months ago

    I once got a message from a woman who said

    "I don’t know you but you know XXXXXX, right? She is going through a very hard time. When she knew you, she really, really liked you, and thought you were such a great guy. It meant a lot to her that you hung out and went on a couple dates. She is really depressed right now…

    “Could you just please send her a message saying hi and asking her how she is? It would mean a lot to her.”

    I actually never dated this woman - I learned, to my horror, that a few times we hung out privately she thought of them as dates and really cherished them… It was to my horror because I really liked those times, too, and … if I had known she liked me that way, I would ahve totally dated her for real… And then I was bowled over with this profound joy… and gratitude… to have been thought of and cherished in someone’s memory, and a weird pain that I never capitalized on that…

    So, of course, I sent the message, with great sincerity and interest in her life, and we exchanged some kind words.

    The woman messaged me sometime after it and said something like “Thank you so much it was so perfect, she was very cheered up by it.”

    I am married and it has been years even since those messages were sent, but I think of them now… and I think of that woman and her daughter and her life over where she lives, and I feel positivity and even will say some prayers for their happiness later today.

    I think it is a cool thing that happened in my life. Maybe not that unique. In fact, I would be happy if many other people got to expereince a “missed connection” that became cathartic.