I was introduced to Shalini when I joined a team of first grade teachers at an elementary school. To pronounce her name correctly, I was told, “It’s like Colony but with ‘sh’.” I never had to be told again. Â
During that school year, I learned that my new friend and I shared so many of the same likes. Our order from Taco Bell was the same. If we ordered Jamberry stickers for our nails, chances were, we had chosen the same patterns. With various drinks and television shows, if I was looking for someone to agree with my tastes, Shalini was the likely one. Even now, more than a decade later, she is the person I text for thoughts on running, tasty sober drinks, vegetarian recipes, mommin’ and the basic shortcomings of the male species.Â
When another teacher on that first grade team got married in Michigan, after NOT discussing when we were leaving nor contacting each other on the day after the wedding, I spied Shalini’s hubby in the parking lot of a random welcome stop somewhere between Detroit and Indianapolis. I ran into the bathroom and stood on the other side of her stall door. I couldn’t think of a thing to say because I was so ecstatic to have ended up at the same place at the same time without planning it. When she opened the door, we both smiled and laughed and I was able to know exactly what it feels like to be a Minion.
There are only a few items that disrupt our likeness streak: First off, my friend seems more okay with cooler-type temperatures whereas I necessitate HOT. And while I’m pretty sure there are a zillion and one photos of me, clothed and otherwise, traveling all through the internet, she is a more private soul and requested this post be made strictly from my Adobe subscription. Supporting this fact, I must admit she’s always had more of a responsible nature in her- namely, arriving on time or having all tests and writing samples graded and entered when due. (Not to discredit people who float along as timeless as possible, like me, but in the physical world, adhering to set schedules does tend to work best for things like jobs and bills.) Lastly, and the reason for this How They Met #15 post- and a purely opposite feat of mine- she married her true love on her first try and will celebrate her 20th anniversary this upcoming June 12th.
For anyone who has ever pondered where they will meet the love of their lives, so far in the How They Met adventures, “at work” has only occurred twice in 15 times. So if one is searching for a companion, the odds will be more in ones favor to stay awake outside of the 9-5. (British language inserted just then for no apparent reason.) But, since life is life, which means you just never know, this is one of the times that the job place just happened to be the divine setting. And even with that in the couple’s favor, it still took years to all get figured out.
When Shalini & Jeremy were both living in Bloomington, they met at work one night while serving popcorn and drinks from the movie theater concession stand. Fast forward some years later, when Shalini had already moved along in the job market, Jeremy’s future sister-in-law began working at the theater. Being the intellect that he is, Jeremy realized who she was and began asking about his former co-worker.Â
Over the years I’ve witnessed this couple share passions and pursue interests separately, both supporting each other while doing so. While the pair loves to travel, he’s the one who tracked their trips with magnets on the garage map. Each of them has stepped it up on the home front while the other put in extra time for career endeavors. Both have developed a love of running, her with more than a few Indianapolis 10ks and mini marathons under her belt while he collects hardware from the different areas he’s traveled to for company excursions. He’s one for D.I.Y. fixing things around the house and she’s great at hiring a professional afterwards.
I’ve been around these two enough to know they both giggled at that last sentence…and to know that they are the yin to the other one’s yang. Put simply, they exude a chill, happy vibe when they are around each other that makes their relationship admirable.
The title of this story was chosen because of the movie reference, but during the post’s crafting, it came to mean more. I’ve been told at least a few times that when the going gets tough, I am a quitter. It is true. In non-chill environments, the option with the least resistance is the road I’ve learned to lean into. My show, apparently, sometimes has an end, whereas with this couple, the show must and does go on. No matter what comes their way, their show will indeed keep on keepin’ on.