Our next segment of Barnumbia Modern Love comes to you thanks to notes in class and bold leaps of faith.

As every Columbian knows, doing well on your Advanced Programming midterm is cause for a great celebration. And what better way to celebrate than to pass a note to that cute guy in Butler?

So a note with “If you’re single and into women ;)” and my Instagram handle found its way to his desk. His message found its way into my DM. And a couple of days later, we found ourselves sitting across from each other at a restaurant, valiantly trying to keep a conversation going.

I didn’t pass the note because I fell in love with him at first sight. He didn’t respond to my note because he desperately wanted a relationship with a total stranger. We were simply two people, each taking a bold leap of faith, willing to make fools of ourselves, agreeing to take the first step without seeing the whole staircase.

What awaited us at the end was friendship. Which I think is the happiest ending of them all. If I can be friends with any person I send a note to and get $20 pancakes with, I’ll have emptied both my notebook and my wallet a long time ago. The fact that he and I are now good friends is truly a wonderful, rare, marvel that I am extremely grateful for.

I think we’re all sort of fantasizing about there being some sort of situation that would make all of our very rational reasons not to talk to someone no longer relevant. But why only make conversation with a stranger because of a dare? Why only tell someone you love them when you’re running away from a fire? Why only reach out, apologize, and try to fix things when there’s a world-ending asteroid about to hit the Earth?

We are all beautiful people capable of many beautiful relationships, only if we were a little more daring. Use your voice. Introduce yourself. And if your voice fails you, perhaps pass a note instead.

Submission via Nicole

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Pancake Date via Tal Bloom