Today marks exactly twenty-two years ago to this very day that I first caught site of Thea and fell madly in love with her. Actually more than likely exactly to this very hour as like now it was around ten-thirty in the morning, if I remember correctly. Twenty-two years is approximately eight hundred and thirty days or seven times ten to the power of eight (followed by eight zeroes) seconds: 700000000. Hard to believe that that was nearly half a lifetime ago. But it is true and I have survived the first half of life well enough with a fine Dutch gal. Not exactly what I had expected my life to become. Thanks to her I have become what I am today. Back then on that fated morning I was leaving a corner store in Balestrand, Norway after having purchased daily food rations for the day. When I saw her walking down the road towards me, I put the grocery bag on the ledge and accidentally sat down right on top of it. The carton of yogurt broke open and splattered all over my pants. With a cute laugh Thea offered me a paper napkin to clean myself off. The rest is history, the main reason I am still living in Holland of all places. Life continues. Even to this very day I remain open to coincidence trying to seize the moment as best as possible. I am still madly in love with her, though compared to twenty-two years ago this love has taken on a slightly different, higher and more meaningful form.