Dear reader,
Boy, do I have a love story for you!
My friend Iris Smyles hard launched her husband on Instagram a few weeks ago. This week, I invited her to the
Ask a Matchmaker podcast to share the whole story.
Just last summer, she was thinking about having a baby on her own. While she wasn’t closed off to relationships, she was ready to move on with her life and not feel like she was waiting for that “missing piece.”
Fast-forward a few months, and she met Alexander, her husband-to-be, in Greece. They were both strangers, walking toward a cafe when she turned to him and joked, “Are you racing me to the bathroom?”
As it turned out, this stranger actually knew some of her friends. They started hanging out every day at the beach until, one day, he rented a car to take her to dinner in the beautiful village of Makrinitsa.
He lived in Liverpool, and she lived in Great Britain, so they didn’t put any pressure on the relationship when they parted ways. But sure enough, Alexander continued communicating everyday. He suggested she visit him in Liverpool on her way back from Greece. In Iris’s words:
“I arrived on a Friday. By Saturday morning, we were sitting on a sofa, and it had been decided that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. And that I would move to Liverpool so we could start right away.”
And BOOM, on January 4th, they were married.
Here’s the thing. Iris herself admits that she doesn’t normally talk to strangers. But the previous summer, she made a promise to herself that she’d start embracing radical openness.
And that’s what I love about this! This story wasn’t about Iris finding the love of her life when she “least expected it.” It was about Iris making an effort, living intentionally, and staying open to new experiences.
When we lean into this mindset, our whole lives can change!
Iris is the author of multiple bestselling books, including
Iris Has Free Time, Dating Tips for the Unemployed, and
Droll Tales. Her stories, essays, and poems have appeared in publications like The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Vogue, and more. You can check out her website
here.
Post of the WeekValentine’s Day is around the corner, which means Valentine’s Day HATERS are also lurking nearby.
My hot take is people who say they hate Valentine’s Day because it’s a commercial holiday really suck. Read the whole rant here.
Watch the full episode on 
Let’s work together! 
