The other day my husband and I were having a very early dinner at one of the restaurants on Westlake Lake. Because it was so early, we were the only customers in the restaurant.

In walked a man, about our age, with a pretty floral arrangement.

Being the chatty gal that I am, and since there were no other patrons around, I asked him if he was there for a birthday or an anniversary.

“No,” he said, “I am here to propose!” 

Well, that sure took us by surprise.

He shared that he was from back east, and his intended was a local gal who had no idea of his plan. She thought she was meeting her son and his girlfriend for dinner. They were both in on the plan.

Not only was he surprising her with his presence in town, but with a proposal, too. He had flowers and a ring.  It was sweet to see how nervous he was. He was reciting his lines as he sat waiting for the text from her son that they had arrived.

By the time his girlfriend was in the vicinity, we had become fast friends and we offered to take pictures of the proposal. My husband followed him down to the dock, while I stood nearby with the maître d watching the scene unfold.

Once she got over her shock at seeing him, they hugged and kissed. Then he handed the flowers to the son, and got down on one knee, pulled out the ring box and proposed. While the maître d and I could not hear his words, we knew when she held out her hand and lifted her ring finger, she said yes.

We clapped and it was only then that both of them realized they had a small audience watching.

While my husband and I returned to our seats to finish our dinner, the gentleman and his new fiancé, as well as her son and girlfriend, came to meet us inside the restaurant. How fun it was to be a part of something so special.

The idea of finding love later in life might seem unusual to some. There are lots of misconceptions about aging, one of them being that as we get older, we are less interested in romance and love.

Older adult romance is becoming more common in the media these days, especially as baby boomers age and want to see people their age depicted as objects of affection. Whether it is a television show like The Golden Bachelor, or movies like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Notebook and Something’s Gotta Give, each underscores the need for companionship, emotional connection and intimacy that remains fundamental to humans, regardless of age.

Our human capacity for giving and receiving love remains strong well into old age and is scientifically proven to increase our well-being.

Love at an older age also brings with it some wisdom. We have years of experiences and reflection, which means we know ourselves much better now than in our younger years. We have less distractions from a romantic relationship, as career building is no longer in the mix. And we are less critical of ourselves, and hopefully others.

To that brave man who traveled cross country to propose and to the lovely gal who said yes, in a world that often celebrates youth and new beginnings, a profound and beautiful truth transcends time – love knows no age.