“You Have A Match,” the words that came across the dating app downloaded on my phone. Sitting in my office chair, I was immediately surprised to see that pop up in my current location. I had just returned home a trip the day before, could the app still have my prior location? Other questions swirled around in my head as I looked out the window, staring at nothing but a stark brown desert as far as the eye could see. I wondered who I could be matching with as I sat five miles from the interstate and 20 miles from the closest town. I opened up the app only to see a face I already recognized. Looking back on our first meeting together, I thought this must be some sort of mistake, if the first meeting did not go well, how could we possibly match on a dating app?
I began with a message only to be met with total confusion. The girl from the app had no idea who I was even though, I was sure we had met. After several minutes of trying to convince her we had met, I soon experienced one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I was talking to her twin sister. Surely her sister had told her how it had not worked out between the two of us, so I was positive the conversation would not continue for long. Shortly after a virtual relationship, we moved into casually seeing each other that week. For the first time in nearly 35 years, the company had us working from home allowing me plenty of time to get to know this unexpected new match. It only took a few days for me to bring up marriage. I was scared how she would react, so I joked about eloping to Las Vegas. To my shock she was in agreement that it was fantastic idea.
It was decided that we would call family and let everyone that we would be going to Las Vegas to get married the upcoming weekend. We had only knew each other nine days and expected fierce opposition. We had yet to meet much of the family, did not know each other’s like and dislikes, and surely had not discussed future goals. The time had finally come to say “I do”. I stood at the alter wondering how only nine days ago I was single, but here I am now getting ready to commit to someone for the rest of my life. It was in that moment that I realized I had never been more committed or surer of anything in my life. Marriage was never a commitment I took lightly, and I knew I would be tested more than ever. What appeared as a rash decision to most, to me was a decision I made with confidence and commitment.
Within a few months of getting married, we decided the two of us would be better with three. The past had taught me to expect fierce criticism when explaining we would be trying for children after knowing each other only a few months, and as I was beginning my Masters in Business Administration that same year. But my commitment had only grown as we overcame the many obstacles of being newly married and after only nine days. This very commitment has continued to shape the person I am, and provided me with the desire and strength to pursue the LSAT while working full-time and raising two children. I may have never known my strength for commitment had it not been for the decision to marry my wife so fast, but it is with that commitment that when I want something bad enough I will commit until I succeed, by which I live my life.
