Once upon a time, there was a boy named Rawrence. There were a few things in life that Rawrence truly loved, which included video games, rocking out on his guitar, playing basketball and eating sandwiches. Rawrence had a deep love for sandwiches.
You see, Rawrence lived a simple life. Day in and out, his monotonous schedule was on repeat. He always played the same video game, sang the same song and ate the same sandwich. He never took risks. He never felt the need to. Until …
One ordinary Sunday night, Rawrence was eating dinner at his favorite sandwich shop known as “Switch Switch.” He waited in line to give the worker his usual order of turkey meat with swiss cheese on white bread. At “Switch Switch,” there were a million different options, but Rawrence never wanted to try anything new. As he was waiting, Rawrence couldn’t help but stare in awe at the cashier, a beautiful girl who was helping the customer ahead of him choose his sandwich.
Rawrence was struck. Not in the romantic way like when a pretty girl accidently runs into an attractive guy and their papers fly and they touch hands and magic happens. No, this was the kind of moment when you casually walk across the green field and a football hits you on the side of the head. It doesn’t hurt so bad, but it still knocks you down.
The “Switch Switch” girl was Rawrence’s type. She had soft brown eyes, glossy black hair, a thin frame and a kind smile. He listened as she shared her sandwich advice with the indecisive customer ahead of him. Her words overflowed with “Switch Switch” wisdom. She was patient. The way she spoke about sandwiches took him off guard, but in a good way. If words could hold weight, hers would be the heaviest because they were dripping with deep wisdom and love for sandwiches.
When it was finally Rawrence’s turn to order, he gave her the bag that had his order written out and quickly paid for his meal. The “Switch Switch” girl smiled and tried to make small talk with Rawrence but he was too shy. Rawrence had a strong urge to ask this girl out. This had never happened to him before. This wasn’t love at first sight. It was a crush. Rawrence thought to himself, “I want to get to know the ‘Switch Switch’ girl better. Why not? What’s the harm in ‘Hey wanna get lunch?’ Because maybe I wanna hear her talk more about sandwiches. Or maybe I just want to hang out with her.” But being the conservative and risk-free boy that he was, he walked away and that was all.
That night, his turkey and swiss cheese sandwich may have silenced the sound of his grumbling stomach but it did not seem to fill up the empty spot in his heart. There was something missing as he strummed his guitar and belted out sappy lyrics in his room.
The next day, Rawrence told a few of his basketball friends about the lovely “Switch Switch” girl. They gave him simple and very wise advice. Just ask her to lunch. What is the worst that could happen? “Rawrence, you miss 100 percent of the shots you never take,” said one of his basketball buddies.
A week later, Rawrence walked in to “Switch Switch” and finally mustered up the courage to ask “Switch Switch” girl out for lunch. After the first date, they started to spend a lot of time together. The “Switch Switch” girl brought the best out of Rawrence. He even started to branch out and try different types of sandwiches. Every day, they shared a new sandwich together. Turns out, “Switch Switch” girl was everything Rawrence wanted and more. They had a beautiful sandwich-themed wedding and lived happily ever after.
As strange as this “Switch Switch” tale is, it actually was inspired by a true story that just happened recently with a friend of mine. I mean, in reality, Rawrence is not actually obsessed with sandwiches, he did not end up marrying the “Switch Switch” girl and his name isn’t actually Rawrence. But the soul of the story is that if you think you might have found that person that seems to bring the best out of you, admires your passion and inspires you to “try a different sandwich,” then get over your fear of rejection and doubts and ask them to lunch. After all, it is Valentine’s week. If they say no, the “what ifs” will finally be out of the picture. No harm done. Someone once told me, “Love is everything it is cracked up to be. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for.” So live freely, take risks, you are only twenty-something for a little while.
