I wasn’t going to write a 9/11 post…

… but BuffaloGeek’s heartfelt post made me do it. Mostly because our stories are eerily similar – both involve geeks, wonderful women named Amanda, and an anniversary.

Amanda and I had started dating in the late summer of 2001, so we were still really just getting to know each other. Of course everyone was a bit spooked after the events of September 11th and nobody was really sure what life was going to be like after that day.

That night, I went to Amanda’s parents’ house like usual, and we sat around reflecting on the day. At one point, I turned to her and said something I hadn’t ever said to her before.

“I love you.”

Obviously overwhelmed by the moment, she replied with, “What?!”

Insert a brief pause here.

“Oh! I mean I love you too!”

We took a few minutes to clear up the fact that her reply was based solely on the fact that she wasn’t expecting my profession, not on any lack of reciprocal emotion. We both agreed that we had felt that way for some time, but didn’t want to rush into making such a powerful statement. I went on to explain that I felt I had to say it that day, since we couldn’t be sure what tomorrow would bring and should something happen to one of us, I wanted to make sure that Amanda knew how I felt about her.

Amidst all the destruction and confusion of that day, it was a bright, touching, and much-needed comical moment. So while there will always be somber memories of the events of September 11th, we will always have our own little bright spot knowing that the rest of our lives began on that day.

Congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Geek on having their own happy memory of this day.