I did not win.
Last summer I received two issues of Real Simple magazine as part of a free trial offer. Despite not actually knowing what this magazine was about, I excitedly thumbed through the pages upon receiving my first issue in the mail. I quickly came across a page that read the following: "TELL US ABOUT THE TIME THAT YOU FIRST UNDERSTOOD THE MEANING OF LOVE. Maybe you were a child, witnessing a generous act by your father or mother. Maybe the lesson came later, as you grappled with the challenges of being a friend, a spouse, or a parent yourself. Whatever made you understand love—and yourself—better, tell us about it." Immediately I was taken back to a night that occurred many years ago and KNEW that I had to type that experience out on my computer and send it off to the editors of that magazine. The silver lining in sharing my story was that the winner of the essay contest would receive $3,000, round-trip tickets for two to NYC (including hotel accommodations