Okay, I met a guy Wednesday night.
I had just come from my Jazzercise class and
stopped by Harris Teeter before going home.
As I was heading to my car with my groceries,
a guy stopped me. Tall. Dark.
"Hey, how you doin'?"
"Fine."
"You look like you workout? Do you workout?"
(I had my Jazzercise clothes on - a t-shirt that said "JAZZERCISE" and black pants)
"Yeah, I teach Jazzercise."
"I like women who look like they work out. My name is Ron."
"Hi Ron."
"What's your name?"
"Lottie." (see, I gave him my real name :)
"So, where do you teach? Can I take your class?"
"No, it's for women."
"I like to workout too. I play ball."
"Really."
"Yeah. I played ball when I was in college in Arkansas."
"You went to school in Arkansas? Are you from there?"
"No, I'm from D.C. Where are you from?"
"Mississippi."
"Mississippi? How long you been up here?"
"More than 10 years."
"You mean you been up here 10 years and ain't married yet? I can't believe that."
(oh, here we go...)
"Well, can I take you out sometime?"
"Depends. Are you married?"
"I'm divorced."
"How old are you?"
"43."
"Do you have any children?"
"No."
"What do you do?"
"I"m a 12-year veteran of the police force."
"So do you always pick up women at Harris Teeter, Ron."
"lol, no."
"What did you major in when you went to school in Arkansas?"
"I went to school but I didn't finish."
"What?"
"I was there 6 years and I was a semester from graduating when I left."
"A semester? Why don't you just go ahead and take those last few courses
so you can get your degree? It's never too late."
"Yea, I know."
"I tell you what Ron, we can go out when you enroll in school and take
those last few classes to graduate."
"lol, you serious?"
"Yeah."
"Can I at least call you?"
"Sure."
We exchanged numbers and I left.
Later on that evening, I received a text from Ron:
"It was nice meeting you lady. Hopefully we'll cross
paths again. Ron."
Maybe I should have given Ron a chance. He seemed like an okay
guy. I have a friend who's married to a cop and he's really nice.
They've been married for 10 years and have three children.
And just the other day, a friend and I were talking about how
it really doesn't matter if someone has a college degree or not
because even the so-called "college-educated" can be idiots.
In fact, I have a friend who has an MBA and is happily married to
a manager of a department store. I have another friend who is a doctor
who is married to a mechanic. Both seem happy with their choices.
They obviously looked beyond the surface and found good, caring, kind men.
They are hard-working brothers who are all about taking care of their families.
I guess I'm learning that I shouldn't be so hung up on
college degrees. Some of the most successful folks didn't
attend or finish college. And I know a whole bunch of folks
that are smarter than those who did.
Who knows? Maybe Ron will text me again, and maybe I'll go out
to dinner with him.
It couldn't be any worse than Pookie #1 and Pookie #2....
What are your thoughts?
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8 comments:
Nice post. Yes there is something to be said for being equally yoked, but that is relative. I say give him a chance. His life experience could have given him more education than his college degree. There are lots of other characteristics that are important (loving, spiritual, thoughtful), but in terms of intelligence, for me it was important to find a man that has drive and ambition, as well as being responsible and a critical thinker, regardless of whether or not he had a college degree. I do have to admit that my man does have several degrees, and is currently in school for another. But he had none when we first dated nearly 20 years ago. I do feel you though. But get to know him. And if he's not the one, keep it moving. Life is too short to settle-and I've done that too.
I think, Lottie, that you should give Ron a chance. I hear you what you're saying, but I also think that a college degree isn't the end-all, be-all for everyone. That is kind of lame that he didn't go ahead and finish, but you could learn a lot from even one date with him.
I'm just saying. ;)
Trina
I think you shouldn't have dismissed him because he didn't have a college degree. I would have gone on at least one date with him. However, cops have issues. LOL!
Joyce, I love your comment: "for me it was important for me to find a man that has drive and ambition, as well as being responsible and a critical thinker.."
great words...
yeah, honey, let GO of that whole college degree thing.
Why can't you text him? Find out more about him and see what's up. I know you Lot... Take control of the situation. I think it's a start that he doesn't have kids and he's divorced (which says to me that he's made a commitment before, unlike guys his age who have never been married). And yes, having a college degree really doesn't mean much except... student loans, unless he's doing something fabulous.
Also, he sounds better than those other two...that first one was crazy.. So what's the difference in waiting for ridiculous to call you (which seems like they do) and you calling someone who might possibly be nice. Just a thought.
Hi Lottie,
I read and enjoy all your blog entries, always have an opinion but have never commented. Here’s my inaugural post.:)
I attended a women’s seminar several years ago and the speaker talked about how women short change ourselves when we rule out potential mates because they don’t meet our “list” criteria. What she said made a lot of sense to me. She challenged us to let go of the list and really focus on the end results. If you say your man has to be tall, challenge yourself to really examine WHY he has to be tall. Is it because you want to feel secure when you’re around him? If so, then that should be what you focus on. It’s possible that the 5’7 guy with a black belt could protect you better than the 6’3 fellow who turns out to be a wimp. Joyce’s description of the characteristics she looks for was on point. It isn’t limiting and doesn’t put a person in a box. I also tend to look at things from the other person’s perspective. How would you feel if you met a dude and he judged you by whether or not you went to college or even better where you went to college? Does that really, really tell you anything about a person? I don’t think so. I’ve meet folks who have attended some of the best institutions of higher learning and they’ve been crazier than a Betsy bug. I’m also offended when someone asks me immediately what type of work I do. While I’m proud of my professional career, I don’t want to be defined by it. If he text or calls you back, maybe you should have a few phone conversations with him and then determine if you want to go out on a date with him.
I think it's interesting that you dismissed this guy, who seemed closer to your ideal, but were willing to go on at least one date with those other fools. Reflect on that.
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