Everyone wants to be loved.  The desire to be loved, to be valued, and to be happy is universal. So when my single guy-friend Jeff was interested in a woman, I felt duty-bound to assist in his effort to get to know her. After all, he was my friend, and I cared about him, so of course, I wanted him to find someone who would love him, who would value him, and who would make him happy.

I met Jeff at the Gym.  It happened to be a CrossFit Gym, and anyone who knows CrossFit also knows that it’s not like your typical gym. At CrossFit, you are all performing the same workout, at the same time, and most people go to the gym many times a week, at the same time. So a sense of community and camaraderie develops – you get to know each other.

At the time, Jeff and I were both navigating the dating scene. We had a lot in common, as we were the same age, we were both parents of late-teen or young adult children, had been divorced, and loved Crossfit. Becoming friends was natural. I respected Jeff, too. He was aware, had learned a lot of lessons in his life, was smart and thoughtful about things that mattered, and I began asking his advice when it came to the men I was dating and things that would come up.  He, in turn, began sharing what was going on in his life and asking for a female perspective. On occasion, we’d go drink beer and eat chicken wings while we talked it all over.

So if “Wingman” is defined as someone who helps a friend with romantic relationships, then I suppose he was mine and I was his. But Dictionary.com goes on to say “especially one who helps the friend attract a woman…”

Back to the gym, and why I have been forever dubbed Jeff’s “Wingman”. It was February 2017, Jeff and I had made plans to go to a Saturday Boot Camp because it was designed to be a Partner Workout, so we agreed to meet and do it together.  As we were warming up as a group, Jeff was admittedly a bit distracted by an unfamiliar athletic female backside in front of us.  At the time, I had just met an amazing guy myself and wanted the same for Jeff. I actually thought he might ditch me for this very pretty lady who was visiting our gym, but he remained loyal to his commitment, and I was determined to chat with her after class.

Her name was Stacy, and she was friendly, adorable, and easy to talk to. While we stretched, we talked, and I made every effort to mention my friend, Jeff, and what a cool cat he was. Stacy was visiting from out of town and shared that she was here with her Gram (who she took care of), that they had a condo here, and she came often. I remember thinking at the time that this woman was incredibly unique if she took care of her grandmother full-time. I also remember we talked about local restaurants, and then we exchanged phone numbers.

Of course, I helped Jeff get Stacy’s number, and they took it from here. A couple of days later Jeff told me they went to the beach on Sunday, had some cocktails, had some fun, and he hoped he would see her again.

Some four years later, Jeff and Stacy are married, as am I to that amazing guy I mentioned earlier. Stacy and I have become close friends, and I adore her. What an incredible woman who turned out to be the best person I could ever imagine for Jeff, and he for her.

This story begins and ends with Jeff and Stacy, who now love each other, value each other, and make each other happy every day. And I am no longer a Wingman.

May anyone out there who is single be inspired by Jeff and Stacy’s random meeting and remarkable outcome. Just stay the course, be strong, and know that yours too could be just around the corner.

Guest Post Written by Eleina R.

Eleina is an amazing wingman, crossfitter, entrepreneur, wife, mother, friend, and web designer in the Venice, FL area. Check out her business E’s Website Design for all your website or blogging needs.  She and Jeff have been friends since they started doing CrossFit together in 2015. Stacy and she have been friends for four years since they met this day four years ago after Boot Camp in 2017. Both couples remain great friends to this day.