An opportunity taken is never an opportunity lost!

By Marielle Beetge

Last year I found myself at the Hilton Hotel in July sometime, sitting in the back row for the presentation to go overseas. I remember I went there because a friend asked me to go and I wasn’t that interested, but I went anyway. The more I listened the more interested I became and by the end of the presentation we all moved closer to the front to undergo a screening.

I will never forget this day, because this was the day I met someone so special. We were both sitting in the same row and ended up both moving forward and sitting next to each other. We spoke for 2 hours, non-stop. By the end of that day we knew that there was a connection, something strong.

We spoke for a long while after, through social media, and eventually made plans to meet up. It didn’t take us long to figure out what we had was special when we both were just so comfortable. It felt as though I had known him my whole life.

A few weeks down the line, we were inseparable. But life, as per usual, threw us a curve ball. He got accepted to America and I never. This seemed as though it were the end and I struggled to understand why this had happened to us. Little did I know, it was life’s way of showing us how strong we were. A month or so later, he was in America and I was here. We Skype’d almost everyday, between our working schedules and the time difference but don’t get me wrong. It was hard.

We started dating and only 7 months later I got to see his face again.

There was always a plan for us, we just had to figure out a way to be stronger than our emotions. This love has led me down a strange path that I didn’t think I would be on, and I’m sure he feels the same way, but every bump in the road had its reasons and lessons.

A year later and we have both been accepted. I appreciate everything more this time and I am extremely grateful to have an opportunity like this.

I sometimes think, ‘what if I didn’t go to that meeting?’

So, next time there’s an opportunity to do something really awesome, maybe you should stop doubting yourself because something great might happen. It might not be what you expected but it might become an important part of your life.

“You only regret the chances you didn’t take”