Soft Life, Hard Lessons: Collard Green Kisses and Rom-Com Reality

The Evergreen Echo

My friend Tarrah swears by the age-old dating adage: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Now, for someone like me who navigates life with a healthy dose of hyperfixation, I’m learning to lean in and listen. She reminded me that a suitor can look like a perfect egg on the outside but prove to be entirely unviable on the inside. I can definitely attest to that. In past seasons, honey, I’ve bought dozens only to end up with cracked shells, bloody yolks, or frozen promises.

But recently, the universe decided it was time for me to test the basket theory in real-time. I met two men in the wild; one during a quick trip to Atlanta, and the other right back home in Seattle.

Collard Green Kisses

The magic started on a Friday in Atlanta. My sleep is always a little unpredictable when I’m traveling, and I didn’t roll out of bed until 12:30 p.m. I headed to my favorite local buffet specifically to hit the salad bar. While I was waiting in line, two friends approached me. One of them looked at me, completely unprompted, and said I was beautiful and that I had pretty toes. Look at God!

Initially, I declined their invitation to sit and eat, but something in my spirit made me shift and accept. We sat down, and the connection was instant. I actually ended up praying for one of the guys, while his friend enthusiastically played matchmaker. By the end of the meal, numbers were exchanged, and I received a big, warm hug. The wildest part? This man hadn't stepped foot in that restaurant since 2001. That’s a divine detour if I’ve ever seen one.

What began as casual banter turned into hours of deep conversation that night and straight into Saturday morning. Before my flight back to Seattle, I asked if he’d like to spend my remaining hours together. He didn't even hesitate. He immediately said yes.

We ended up at a vibrant spot near the airport. The room was loud, filled with scantily clad servers, a mechanical bull, and a cloud of hookah smoke, growing busier by the minute. He leaned over and laughed, "It’s gonna get ratchet in here in a minute, maybe 300 people shoulder-to-shoulder. But the food is excellent, and that’s why I brought you here instead of Chili’s or Longhorn."

He was right. Amidst all that chaos, he created a bubble where it felt like we were the only two people in the room. In a beautifully unscripted, non-performing moment, he leaned in and kissed me—right while I had a mouth full of collard greens. That is definitely going down in the history books! Imma write a song about it too.

We shared several more kisses after that (without the greens, thank you very much). When I checked the TSA wait times, they read an unheard-of 0-15 minutes. My God tuh-day! In true cinematic fashion, we circled the airport four times just to stretch our time, finally pulling into the park-and-wait lot for an epic, lingering goodbye hug and kiss. I made it to my gate in five minutes flat. The world stopped for us that day. This man even set an alarm for 3:00 a.m. just to catch my call when I landed safely back home. 

Weeks later, we are still FaceTiming multiple times a day and planning our next meetup.

The Evergreen Echo

Business Before Pleasure 

The second guy was a local that noticed me but I didn’t notice him. We exchanged numbers after he heard me at a meeting talking about book publishing.

He shared with me that he wanted to publish his life story. I asked if I could look. I read an amazing story but it needs a lot of edits. I offered my service and gave him my website.

After reading his story it prompted me to want to know him more. So I’m texting him and he’s like, “Business before pleasure, but I’m very much attracted to you.” I mean sheesh he made that clear.

We’re still exchanging data two weeks later. He’s handsome is all I’ll say.

Rom-Com Reality 

I cannot stress this enough: This does not happen to me. To meet two high-caliber men in the wild, completely organically, feels like stepping straight into a movie script. Even the southern gentleman in Georgia admitted he had never experienced a whirlwind connection quite like ours.

But the most beautiful, aligned detail of all? Both of these men have been completely abstinent for at least four years. As a woman navigating my own intentional journey of abstinence, this is a highly attractive, rare trait. It feels incredibly healing to build a connection where I am not being pressured for sex; in fact, we haven’t even had to have a single conversation about it.

For the first time in a long time, the eggs in my basket are looking incredibly viable, the math is mathing, and the view from this rom-com chapter is absolutely magnificent.