When you know it's right...

OR: The Magic of that first moment

Have you ever looked over at your special someone and wondered just exactly what it is that makes you want to stay with that person day after day after day after day? It's Magic. With a capital "M".

Seriously.

Think about that very first time you realized that you wanted to be with that person for the rest of your days. Was there not something in the air, something that tingled, some new kind of electricity that sparked your feelings? Of course there was. That was the secret and mystical magic of the universe, conspiring to ensure that the two of you, two souls destined to spend eternity side by side, would make their way to each other.

Don't believe me? Let me give you an illustration. This comes from my very own life, and it perfectly demonstrates that the universe does, indeed, possess a magic that is reserved only for lovers. Allow me to set the scene.

I was a mid-twenties single person in the Navy. I'd spent my first 8 years at various shore commands, trying really hard to get stationed on a ship. Finally, I was sent TAD (temporary assigned duty) to the USS Enterprise. At this point in my life, I already had children, and an ex-husband. I was in no way looking for another marriage. Honestly, I wasn't even sure that I ever wanted another serious boyfriend. I was pretty much through with relationships, and had decided to concentrate on my career. Fate had other plans for me.

I met him on the first day of a 6 week training deployment. He was beautiful, truly. I mean, I looked at him, and my heart started beating double time, my lungs quit working, my knees went weak. It was awful! I was smitten. Pathetic, right? Not quite. The magic was just getting started. The universe was working to make sure that we two would be together. Really. We spent a few weeks getting to know each other and became friends, but neither of us was ready to take it any further than that. We just weren't counting on that magic.

The ship pulled in to St. Thomas for a long weekend. The Navy brought a band in, and there was a huge party. He and I were in different duty sections, and spent the days away from each other. On our last night there, he was working on the ship, and I was out on the town. Partying. And missing him. So I left the parties and headed back to the ship. That's when the magic really started.

The night was perfect. It wasn't raining. It wasn't too hot. The sky was clear and the moon was shining bright. You know the kind of night I mean. I know you've had them as well. It was a magical night.
This night was made just for us.

I called him on the phone and he asked me to come over to his office. I walked in and we were all alone. It was nice to be there, just the two of us. We sat and talked for hours, and there was the feeling that the night was not going to let us take the time for granted. We both felt it. There was a current in the air. You can call it attraction, or lust, or any other thing you want, but I know that it was magic.

He asked me to dance. I was trying to keep things level. I knew that if he touched me, if I even put my hands in his hands, I would fall into him and never be able to walk away. That scared me, and fascinated me at the same time. I wasn't sure I was ready for that, or even wanted it. Some things you just can't control though.

Trying to be smooth, I agreed to dance with him on one condition. I told him that I would only dance with him if he played a certain song. He agreed to this and asked me the song. Well, that was the catch. If he really wanted to dance, if we were supposed to dance, if it was meant to happen, he'd play the right song. There was no way I was going to tell him the name of the song.

However, instead of thinking I was a loon, instead of giving up on the idea of a dance, instead of throwing his hands up in disgust, he trusted in the magic of the moment. He just smiled at me, pushed "play" on his cd player, and held out his hand.

My eyes must have been the size of melons when the song playing in my head started coming out of those speakers.

Really.

Magic. That's what it was. I know it. He knows it. We danced because of it that night. We cherish it today.
Everyone has magic like that touch them sometimes. Not everyone calls it magic, but that's what it is. It's the universe, or God, or Fate, or whatever, conspiring to ensure that things happen the way they should happen, that the people who are destined for each other get the right signal at the right time to know that they are at the right place in their lives to take that chance.

If you think about it, I bet you've had magical moments, like I've had. You may not have recognized them when they were happening, just like I didn't. But looking back, I'm sure of what it was.

And that dance? We're still dancing. Every time we close our eyes, we still hear that song. That's just an extension of our own special magic. It never ends.

This post brought to you by B4B. If you don't know about B4B, check out Joshilyn Jackson's website, Faster Than Kudzu (it's also in my links!). She runs a contest every month called Blogging For Books. She gives you a topic. You blog it. It gets judged. The winner gets a book. Really, how can I lose? I mean, even though it's doubtful I'll win the contest, I get a writing exercise, and someone else gets to read what I wrote. Win/Win, right?