5,580 Days Too Late - An Introduction

I will never forget the day I began to wake up to who I am because that moment all started with a kiss. On February 19, 2014, I first met Dan, and by the early afternoon of that day, I had felt the second most distinguishable feeling of my life. The first started when I was about eight years old, and it had to do with a long white and soft sailor rope I took from my dad's sailing boat in the garage.

But on this particular Wednesday afternoon, there was no rope or basement; instead, it was with the most beautiful person I had ever encountered: a dark-haired, handsome man with a face chiseled in kindness and strength. I remember noticing his ears, which lay flat against his head like I always wanted. His eyebrows and eyelashes were a perfect complement to his green eyes. All of these perfect features are attached to his molded mouth and smile.

We both know how unexpectedly we arrived at what we noticed and found attractive and curious. Through his long-sleeved plaid Oxford, Dan's body should have strength and muscularity. He took care of himself, but to what extent, I didn't know, and I didn't care. These were not everyday encounters for me; a hook on the Grindr gay dating app. I am confident I have never met anyone on an app where you could swipe left or right. My way of hiding and finding aligned more with the soft sailor rope, not lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (CPK).

But on this day, everything started to change in my life, and little did I know the impact it would have on everything since and everything before I met Dan Evans Dougherty.

Starting this blog is for no one but myself, but quietly, I hope it will find its way to Dan so he can know what is happening to his person. His one genuine person.