What I love most about this life... is that it's really not about me.
No, the greatest thing I get to do in this life -- and in this job I have -- is to tell -- and share stories which happen around me.
Your stories.
Like this one story that happened over the weekend.
On a random night, over the weekend, a night which was moderately chill, life, as it were, had me in the "room where it happens..." for many reasons, I'm certain... but it also had me where I was... to see this moment.
In the photo above, you'll see Ellie Green and Ashonzay Matlock. They live in Alexandria, Virginia, and I take it he - and Green, his girlfriend, along with their friends and family, were on hand to celebrate his 30th birthday.... but he clearly had another plan...
And so, after she said a few words about his birthday to friends and family, she turned the room over to Matlock, who thanked those gathered. I couldn't really hear what he was saying, but I could tell he was saying a few things while building up some confidence -- and allowing a photographer and others to get into position... and pop THEEEE QUESTION...
With that, I'll turn the rest of this post over to Greene, who can tell us the rest of their story:
"When he proposed I was honestly in shock! We’ve been together 3 years and I started to just really relax about getting engaged because I knew it was coming but I also knew, regardless of when it came, we were going to be together forever. It was his 30th birthday and I just assumed it was all about him. Everyone with the cameras didn’t phase me at all. I sincerely thought they were just videoing the speeches. When he got down on one knee I just went numb. I was so shocked and asked him if he was sure 😂and he was like yes! Are you gonna say yes?! And I obviously said yes hahahahaha I’m just so filled with happiness. I get to truly marry my best friend..."
I asked Ellie to tell me how they met:
"We met at the gym. It was my second day there and I felt him circling me so when he came and sat on the bench next to me I knew he was trying to chat. I had gotten down a weight and it was a heavier one so I asked him to put it back for me to throw him a bone. We started chatting and he said he needed a new workout partner and asked if I wanted to workout with him and something about him and the way he was just so polite to me made me say yes and gave him my number. We started working out together for like 3 weeks/5 days a week before we even went on our first date but it was great because we clearly liked each other but it allowed us to build a foundation of friendship before anything else. Oddly enough, I went to college in Ohio and this guy I had been on and off with from college was moving to DC to be with me and I just had this gut feeling about Ashonzay so I called the guy and told him I met someone and couldn’t be with him lol thank gawd I trusted my gut!"
It was so well done... and there was so much romance and so much love, honestly, just watching this all go down sorta rekindled my belief that maybe, just maybe, that "happily ever after" thing can happen... and hearing their story... well, it may have just given me that spark of hope.
Ellie, Ashonzay... congratulations to you both. I'm hopeful you both will live a life together that has a story just as great as the one which started in that gym three years ago. I'm hopeful you'll find all the joy and happiness together - as each other's someone - that will give you everything you need to have that love which doesn't just last a lifetime, but which burns eternal. I'm happy I got to see your moment. And thank you for letting me share it here.
-t.