He was your first love-the boy from your hometown. One day, while visiting your parents, you decide to do a little shopping at Abercrombie’s. You turn a corner and run right into him! After brushing yourselves off and a little good-natured laughter, you realize it has been a long time, but seems like only yesterday.
Stop. Renew the acquaintance, if you are so inclined, but when it comes to old friends and dating, it is easy to become blind-sided by rose-colored glasses of nostalgia, and allow yourself to be carried away by the romance, coincidence, and novelty of the situation.
After catching up on old time scenarios, you may want to discuss each other’s current lives.
Ask him/her the following questions:
- What has he been doing in the interim?
- Have there been any big changes in his life?
- Is he currently involved in a serious relationship?
Now, ask yourself these questions:
- Why did you and this former love break up?
- Did you walk away, or did the other person end the relationship?
- It takes days or sometimes even months before a person gets emotionally healed and finally moves on in life
- Has the other person’s physical appearance changed? In what way?
- How have you, yourself changed in the interim?
Has he/she been married or involved in a serious romance? If so, how did this relationship end? Are there children involved? Is he/she richer/poorer, better-looking/worse for wear, healthier, less healthy, more optimistic/less optimistic.
Is the chemistry still there? Have you been carrying a torch for this person? Is this a person that you just could not stop thinking of? Did you have feelings that were not reciprocated? Are you long-lost loves, or just two people who drifted away from each other?
Normally, there is a certain anticipation and excitement when we first begin dating a person; you find out about each other’s lives and get to know each other. You each put your “best foot forward,” and attempt to create a certain impression. However, you two are past that point-you already know each other-or do you? Depending upon how much time has passed, there is a certain amount of history that represents an unknown quantity. Everything we do, and every experience we have in life, alters us and changes our perspective in some way.
Remember, serendipity encounters do sometimes lead to life-changing relationships, but do not allow yourself to float away on a wave of nostalgia. A chance meeting does not necessarily signify a renewed love that will endure forever.