The First Message and Butterflies in My Stomach

I never thought that one notification sound on my phone could make my heart dance. It was an ordinary Thursday — I still remember what that day looked like. Rain was drizzling outside, my coffee was going cold in its mug, and I was sitting in my sweatpants, scrolling through the same dating app yet again.

I didn’t have high expectations. Time and again I’d seen photos of people looking for a fleeting adventure, someone for the moment, or someone they couldn’t quite describe themselves. Still, deep down I hoped that somewhere, on justsingleseniors.com, someone was waiting just for me — someone who would appreciate a simple smile and a sincere word more than a posed picture.

And then his message appeared.

I remember reading the notification preview before even opening the full message: “Hey, I feel like I know you from somewhere… Or maybe I just really want to get to know you.”

That one sentence both made me smile and melted my heart — there was nothing over the top about it, just a lightness and honesty.

I clicked, and suddenly I felt an inexplicable shiver of excitement, like a whole swarm of butterflies had woken up in my belly. I’d always thought that expression was overused, but in that moment I finally understood what it truly meant.

I began typing my reply. Even though I rewrote my first sentence probably ten times, I finally sent something simple and genuine: “Hey! Maybe it’s a sign that we’re meant to find out if we really do know each other. And if not — I’d still love to get to know you.”

From that moment on, everything just fell into place.

We wrote to each other every day. Every new message felt like a little gift — sometimes a funny anecdote, sometimes a picture of a cup of tea or the view from a window, sometimes a question not everyone would dare to answer. I loved the variety and honesty I felt from our very first conversations.

I remember when he told me about his most embarrassing travel mishap and how we both laughed ourselves silly over the phone. I remember when I sent him a photo of my cat in some ridiculous pose and how he commented that my cat looked like the ruler of the universe.

But the most beautiful part of this story was what was happening inside me. All those butterflies in my stomach, glancing at my phone every few minutes to see if he’d written again, the joyful thrill that appeared with every new “ping.”

I’d never thought words on a screen could bring so much light into my everyday life. I realized how important the small things can be — a warm “good morning,” a joke sent in the middle of the day, or words of comfort when the evening felt a bit heavy.

And, gradually, through those messages, something truly special began to grow between us. An invisible bond that made me wait for him in my thoughts long before I ever met him face to face.

And then came our first meeting — anticipated, a bit shy, but wonderfully natural. We recognized each other instantly in the crowd, and suddenly all my nerves melted away. We talked as if we’d known each other forever, and those butterflies in my belly danced like never before.

Today, when I look back on that very first message, I can’t help but smile. What for others might just be a few words in the digital world became the start of an incredible journey for me. Sometimes you don’t need grand gestures — just a touch of honesty and an open heart to let someone in who will turn your world upside-down in the most beautiful way.

Because love can truly begin with a single, simple message — and then quietly grow into something you’ve been searching for all your life.