Ever hear of right person, wrong time... Well, that's how my story with Matt began. I can shamelessly say that I made the first move (and the second, and third…). It was May of 2020, when we met on the app Bumble, where the girl has to message the boy first. That was the easiest DM of all time. Matt was tall, played basketball, and was cute.

Both of us, fresh into the real world, in and out of grad school, enjoying our COVID summer together as best as we could, simultaneously trying to figure life out. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. As we got deeper involved and as the months passed, so did my anxiety riddled thoughts of where this was headed. Although deep down, I felt like Matt was the one for me, I also felt deep down that I was undeserving of his love.

(This is the sad part). Around 6 months after that fateful DM, my irrational brain decided to break up with Matt, find a new job, move to a new place, and never speak to him again... at least for the next two years.

Two years went by with absolutely zero contact between the two of us. I moved to Lancaster, PA and Matt moved to Hoboken, NJ. He got a new job in NYC. I got a new job at F&M. I healed myself by following my passions and a little bit (a lot) of therapy. I began to think about my future… relationships, family, career, etc. Every time I thought about my future, my mind and heart would wander back to Matt. I couldn’t explain why, but I felt like I was finally in a place to receive the love he was always willing to give and I was ready to love him the way he deserved. The only thing was, we hadn’t spoken for years….

Fast forward to the ACTUAL most important DM of all time; I casually/not-so-casually texted Matt out of the blue on a random Wednesday night in September of 2022. It was 10:23pm so I can only imagine what he was thinking. I had no idea if he was dating, in a relationship, or hated my guts for breaking up with him, but I figured I’d just shoot my shot (again). I fully expected him to A) ignore me, B) spend days before answering, or C) tell me off. He chose option D… answer back immediately (10:59pm) eager to chat.

I have never felt more excitement, relief, nerves, etc. in my entire life. We met up for our (second) first date shortly after those initial exchanges and our conversations picked up from where we left off two years prior. We reconnected right before my basketball season started which was tricky timing so we’d meet once a week for dinner, make out in the car, then go our separate ways home lol. We spent the next year and a half falling back in love, commuting from NYC to Lancaster and Lancaster to NYC… Plenty of date nights, adventures, long phone calls/facetimes, commuting, celebrating, and enjoying life.

Matt is kind and patient. He is full of love and sees the good in everyone, always. He is the most understanding person I know and his genuine love for life is something I admire most about him.

In 2021, I got the Hebrew word “bashert” tattooed onto my wrist… sorry Grandmom (hopefully you’re not reading this)! Bashert is a Yiddish word that means destiny. It is often used in the context of one's divinely predestined spouse or soulmate. It can also be used to express the seeming destiny of an auspicious or important event, friendship, or happening.

My tattoo reminds me to stay present, control what I can control, have a little faith, and most importantly, “what is meant to be, will be”. Matt is my bashert and although our path has been twisty and windy, I truly believe that I finally have the right person, RIGHT time : )

Registry