Following my diabetic odyssey in March 2008, I had an opening of consciousness that launched me into a period of change; I went through a shift, if you will. One of the end results of that shift was my relationship with my now-wife, Isabelle. Had it not been for the life altering experience that I went through, I may or may not be married to the love of my life, to my soul mate. I honestly believe that Isabelle and I are soul mates, destined to find one another. And the Universe did all it could, repeatedly, to make sure it happened.

Our story begins in the late 1990s. Both Isabelle and I were gainfully employed at Ambassador Video at the same time. This is where we got to know one another. As it so happened, we had both been attending the same university as well, doing mirror-image studies. I was doing an English major with a minor in History; she was doing a History major with a minor in English. Despite having done many of the same courses, we do not recall being in each other’s classes, though we later came to realize there was at least one exception.

While chatting one day in recent years, I started talking about the Intro to German class I took for a semester, knowing fully that Isabelle had also taken an Intro to German class. I happened to mention that I sat next to our mutual friend Alexis, when Isabelle looked at me and said, “I was sitting next to Alexis in my class.” As fate would have it, we were both sitting on either side of our friend and did not know one another. At least not yet.

During our time at the video store, Isabelle and I hung out a bit and even went on a few innocent dates. When things started to look like they could be picking up a bit in intensity, I panicked, and long story short, we went our separate ways. But the Universe wasn’t done with us yet!

Upon leaving Ambassador Video, Isabelle eventually made her way to Chapters, and later to a summer student job working at Medavie Blue Cross where her mother was employed. Following a slightly later timescale, when I left Ambassador Video, I eventually made my way to Chapters, and later to Medavie Blue Cross. We kept following the same path, but just missing one another along the way. It really seems as though someone, or something, was trying to have us cross paths. Synchronicity working its magic.

A couple of years ago, Isabelle and I were at a wellness convention being held in our old high school. As we wandered around looking at the vendors and booths, she pointed to a spot and said, “this is where I used to hang out during high school.” I looked at her and chuckled. I turned around and pointed to a spot along the wall, not 10 feet away. “That’s where I hung out…” As far back as high school, our paths were approaching one another, but never fully intersecting.

Sometime during 2007, I had begun playing Scrabulous (a Scrabble ripoff) with some friends on Facebook. I had started to play regularly with one of my former coworkers from Ambassador Video, Marie-Josée. One day, MJ messaged me to say that she had started playing with Isabelle as well and that I should challenge her to a game. This is how Isabelle and I began reconnecting.

Through our games, I reconnected with both MJ and Isabelle. We decided the three of us should get together for dinner, so I offered to host at my apartment and cook us a meal. We finally found a date that worked – March 7, 2008. As fate would have it, I ended up in the hospital on March 3, 2008. Our dinner party never happened.

When I was back on my feet and feeling better, we tried again, only this time, we opted to go out to a restaurant. Following a lovely meal, I invited them back to my place to chat and we talked for a few hours. I can’t explain exactly what it was, but I sensed a connection was still there between Isabelle and I. Whether it was the near-death experience, or just an openness to something more in life, I knew that I needed to act. The moment that MJ and Isabelle left my apartment, before the car had even left the driveway, I had hopped onto my computer and was sending Isabelle an email. Though I do not have a copy of said email, I do recall that it essentially said,

Hey, I had a really good time tonight. How about we do this again, but next time, just you and me?

Thankfully, she agreed.

Over the following months, we began hanging out, watching movies (naturally) and getting to reconnect. By July, it was fairly evident that there was a connection between us and that we were becoming more serious rather than two friends hanging out together. Now if you were to ask me and you were to ask her, you will get two different dates for our official “couple” status. In my mind, July 4th was when we started officially dating and became a couple. To Isabelle, it happened on July 20th. I’ve long-since learned to defer to my better half, so July 20th marks 10 years that we have been together as a couple. To be fair, it does take both parties to be in agreement to be dating. LOL So although I was on board as of July 4th, it took her a little longer to come around.

In the past 10 years, we have moved in together, got a kitty, gotten married and bought a house. We have traveled; we have gone to concerts; we have laughed – a lot. We have grown and developed together. Our relationship has become stronger. The person I am today is partly due to the connection and relationship that I have with Isabelle. I continually seek to be a better version of myself. I cannot even fathom what my life would look like had our paths not finally intertwined. It took the Universe about five years from our time in high school until we first officially crossed paths at Ambassador Video (when I chickened out and ran away), and then another nearly 10 years from that point until we reconnected. The Universe kept throwing us in the same direction, but the timing was never quite right.

When Fate decrees something, it is bound to happen. There is no way around it. I fully believe that we were fated to be together, and judging from our relationship and our connection, I do not believe that this was our first lifetime together, nor will it be our last.