Sometimes good things are easy
I remember watching TV as a little kid and one line always stuck out to me: “that sounds too good to be true.” This isn’t something I learned from my personal experience, it was part of the programming dished out to us kids in the late 90s and early 2000s (and I’m sure an easy replicable theme they’re still using today).
So many episodes on Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network made “easy” look like a scam.
And to a learning-and-ice-cream-obsessed little girl from Lithuania, this meant “take notes and burn this into your mind so you can blend in with the Americans.” (That makes me sound like a spy. I am not a spy, as far as I can tell.)
Now, if the cousin of a secret Nigerian astronaut needs your help to return him from space in exchange for a handsome reward, you should probably update your spam settings.
But there are a lot of legitimate opportunities that present themselves to us, and it’s hard to give them a chance when we’ve wired our brains and bodies to immediately reject them.
Case in point: my dear, darling, brother-from-another Dain.
I met him on Craigslist back in the summer of 2014.
I had put up an ad renting out one of the two bedrooms in my Bay Ridge, Brooklyn apartment for the summer. I had a lot of inquiries and held a handful of virtual interviews.
Remember, this was back in the day when Craigslist was… well, still a bad idea and virtual anything was super taboo. If you didn’t meet someone in person, dId ThEy eVeN ExIsT?!
Dain and I first spoke over Skype and he told me he liked my cat. I didn’t know too much about him, but my heart jumped from joy at the sight of his beautiful face and energy.
Me, our incredible friend Vincent (who lived with us that summer!) and Dain during a lil reunion in 2015
A few folks also came to visit the apartment that day. Notably, one girl came through and offered me $200 over my asking price per month (!) if she could move in immediately because she broke up with her ex and wanted me to make a decision that day.
I had had a few troublesome roommates so I wanted to be intentional with my decision, and I also had just a few days to find someone to move in since I had no savings and rent was due in a few days.
The analytical part of me should have gone for the girl with extra money, who I had met in person, and could tell was probably not a serial killer.
Fortunately, the “let me take a chance on this internet stranger because he seems like a part of my soul and likes my cat” side won the debate.
I can safely say that Dain and I became best friends in about 30 minutes. It was easy. We were just open and trusting and everything worked out. We went on a walk and had frozen, chocolate covered bananas and made funny noises while eating them. We were in our own little bubble of friendship and the world seemed brighter with Dain around.
Almost 8 years later, Dain has been there through the brightest, silliest, and darkest times of my adult life. I love him more than my right arm. And one day we’ll have a podcast (if we can ever decide on a theme).
Me and Dain on the beach in the Dominican Republic on my wedding day
Had either of us said “this is too good to be true” the history of the entire planet would be different because we would have never met!
Do you have a moment like that in your life? Have you been presented with (and taken on) an easy, wonderful opportunity that connected you with something – or someone – incredible?
