I learned anything is possible, during a radio segment called “Second Date”. The two morning show hosts autopsy a first date that did not result in a second one. The goal of the “Second Date” segment is to see what went wrong and if after hearing an explanation the couple would like to go on a second date at the expense of the radio station. Anyway, this morning a man, I’ll call Jim, calls in jazzed about how well his first date with Melanie went and how bummed he is that she is now avoiding his calls and texts, not understanding what could have possibly gone wrong.
So the radio DJs call Melanie to find out what put her off. Melanie, of course, is caught off guard by this strange woman, she doesn’t know, asking about her date with Jim. But comes around and explains. “We’d decided to meet for drinks, and then maybe dinner, so we met at a bar. I’m sitting at the bar when in comes a man with a stroller. Turns out this was my date, Jim. He takes the carrier off the stroller and places it on a bar stool next to us and introduces his 9 month old baby girl to me. You can imagine my surprise.”
“What’s wrong with that.” Chimes in Jim, whose been listening in to the whole exchange.
Melanie, once again surprised, says, “Is that you Jim? This is even weirder.”
As I listen, I’m thinking, Okay, that makes perfectly good sense. Now, I can see why she has been avoiding him. I get it. Bringing a baby to a first date is not the norm, especially if it’s not cleared in advance.
Jim, however, felt it completely appropriate. “My sitter canceled.” Jim explained matter-of-factly. “And I didn’t want to postpone the date and explain why because I didn’t think she’d want to go out with me. So I brought my baby.”
After the hosts do some joking about the first date, one of the DJs asks Jim and Melanie, “Are you willing to give it a second try and go an a second date, on us?” The DJ hesitates and then says to Melanie, “We are willing to let you get the whole story and you can decide off air.” Despite being given the option to not answer on the spot, Melanie says, voice trembling, “I’m usually a pretty understanding person. I just wasn’t expecting him to bring his baby.” And then, without any additional explanation she says, “Yes, I’ll go out on a second date. Only this time, Jim, get a sitter.”
Wait. What? Did I just hear her say yes? I questioned myself silently. And then commented mentally shaking my head, well, there you go. Anything is possible! Jim gambled that he would have better odds by going on the date with his infant than if he postponed. He was right!
This story illustrates that weird and unexpected things happen and that anything is possible. What are you not attempting, doing, or asking for because the odds seem against you? You might want to reconsider your next action. I’m sure Jim is glad he took that gamble.
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