Welcome to United Airlines Flight 42 destination Honolulu, Hawaii. It is January 17, 2010 and this will be her first trip home of the year. It’s not by coincidence but perhaps it’s serendipitous that she will be meeting the man whom she has been traveling around the world over the past 5 months for. Not traveling for work but traveling for love.

I first met him in 2003. Back when we were both kids. A mutual friend gave one another our phone numbers. Him, living at Friendships Heights, attending American University, interning at the Department of Education. Her, living in Woodley Park, attending Michigan State University, interning with an International NGO. They met at Starbucks on the corner of Wisconsin and Macomb, 4:00 pm on Sunday. Lost in conversations about God, Music, Education, Travel they closed the Starbucks and left their half drunken coffees. The two checked out the moon and the National Cathedral from the top of her apartments roof top deck. He left at 10:00pm and called her Wednesday to join him and his buddies for drinks on Friday. To this day she can see the Buddha shirt he was wearing when she met him at his dorm. She can still feel that warm gushing feeling she had when she laid eyes on him.

6 months was all they had. The connection like no other she had ever had with a man. Shimmers are sure to fade. He went back to Arizona she continued in DC. That was the winter of 2003.

Life unfolds for the boy and the girl. He finishes university in Arizona, stays an extra year, experiences law school, goes to the Peace Corp in Romania. She moves back to Hawaii, completes her master’s degree, tries on marriage (it doesn’t fit), travels around the world teaching yoga. Never loosing sight of one another they always check in from time to time, phone or email.

The only constant thing is life is change. Love Happens. You can’t control it. You may travel to the other end of the world for it. AND so they did.

So strong was the connection still after 6 years he asks her in February of 2009 to come to Romania. Not ready and involved with her own business she says No. But says if the energy and space is still there when she is working in Europe in September she would be willing. He says one of things he is working on is being patient and this is something worth patience.

The moment he embraced her as she exited the customs in Romania it was as if they hadn’t missed a year, a month, a day, an hour, a second of being together. She tried to resist it, tried to let it go. He continued to be patient, not believe her, and follow his heart. His soft persistence made her falling in love effortless. Traveling around the world to see each other for the next 5 months effortless.

As we make our final approach into Honolulu, Hawaii please make sure your tray tables are secure and your seats in the upright position. Her heart gushes like the first time 7 years ago. It is a New Year a fresh start. Together they will Love .. In Paradise.