If you’ve ever set foot in a cat café trying to coax a tabby into respecting your personal space, you’ve probably thought, “Okay, this is pretty weird.” But let me tell you, nothing—absolutely nothing—could have prepared me for the time I found myself discussing the finer points of composting while on a date... in a hot air balloon. Over the Cuyama Valley. With a man named Charles. Who wore socks with sandals.

Let me rewind.

The Setup: Against My (Better) Judgment

A few summers ago, I got talked into a blind date—something I swore I’d never do again after a particularly traumatic trivia night involving someone who pronounced quinoa as "kwin-oh-ah." But a friend told me Charles was an "adventure type" who loved nature almost as much as he loved people. (Spoiler alert: "adventurous" is sometimes code for "makes unhinged life choices.")

Charles’ plan for us was simple: meet before sunrise at a small regional airport, pile into a freakishly large wicker basket, and ascend 2,000 feet to “experience life from a new perspective.” Sure, I love the outdoors—nothing recharges my soul like the Rockies at dusk—but at least on a mountain, I’m standing firmly on solid ground. Nevertheless, I said yes. I told myself it would be romantic. Preferably a “Darcy-walking-through-the-field” kind of romantic and not a “Titanic-I’m-flying-Jack” scenario, but I was rusty when it came to romance, so who was I to judge?

Lift-Off: Romantic or Ridiculous?

Here’s a fun fact: The phrase “quiet as a balloon ride” should absolutely not be a thing. Hot air balloons are loud. Like, Darth Vader nose-breathing-through-a-subwoofer loud. Every time the pilot blasted the propane burner, I could feel my eyebrows subtly singing to one side, like some cosmic force was trying to remind me that I’d made a terrible life choice.

Charles, on the other hand, was thriving. He came prepared with biodegradable dental floss in his pocket (just in case, he said) and an intense interest in soil amendments. Within 10 minutes, I knew his entire composting routine—egg shells, coffee grounds, and wood ash, if anyone’s wondering. As he waxed poetic about earthworms, I stared out at the magnificent view of the valley: a golden quilt of patchwork fields stretching into forever, swaddled by distant mountains. It would’ve been breathtaking if I wasn’t hyperaware of the sheer absurdity of the situation.

Romance? Sure. Just not the kind you hope to see on a Nicholas Sparks paperback cover.

The Conversation: Compost and Confusion

“Do you compost?” Charles asked mid-ascent, wearing an expression that can only be described as blissful urgency, like my answer would determine the fate of the planet.

“Uh, sometimes?” I responded, pulling from my mental Rolodex of eco-conscious behaviors. Did throwing banana peels into my backyard count?

He nodded approvingly. “Composting is an act of love, you know. For the Earth.”

It wasn’t until later—when he offered to run a soil test on my hypothetical “garden” so I could know my pH levels—that I realized this man might be more committed to decaying organic matter than to, well, people.

I won’t lie; there were moments when I thought, “This guy could be the one...” Mostly because I didn’t think I’d survive the landing.

Dating Lessons from the Stratosphere

Believe it or not, the date wasn't all bad. Somewhere between Charles’ compost lecture and me imagining what my obituary would say (“Local Writer Plummets to Earth While Debating Worms”), I had a revelation. Dating—much like hot air ballooning—forces you to go way outside your comfort zone. Sometimes, it’s scary. Sometimes, it’s strange. Once in a while, though, it offers you the clarity to see things from a higher perspective (very literally, in this case).

Here’s what I learned during my airborne adventure:

  1. Weird Can Be Good
    If someone had told me a week earlier that I’d spend my Saturday morning tethered to a balloon with a man who brought his own kombucha to a date, I’d have laughed. But embracing weird, even when it’s not your style, shows you just how wide the world of dating can be. Sure, I’ll never become a Worm Whisperer, but Charles did make me think about the connections between passion, personality, and compatibility.

  2. Adventure Doesn’t Equal Compatibility
    We all love the idea of falling in love mid-“adventure”—whether it’s sharing a tandem bike ride or kayaking through whitewater rapids. But just because someone’s adventurous doesn’t mean their energy will match yours. Sometimes, it’s okay to say, “You do you, I’ll do me, and let’s stay on the ground, cool?”

  3. Laughter is the Best Survival Tool
    I spent half of that date suppressing giggles as Charles explained his patented “thermal compost layering” technique. Laughing at the absurdity of the situation—instead of silently panicking about the propane burner—helped me stay present. Humor won’t fix every awkward date, but it will turn a “never again” moment into a story you can tell later. Don’t take yourself (or the date) too seriously.

The Landing: Rattled but Reflective

We landed with a bounce that nearly sent me toppling into Charles, who, bless him, was more concerned about thanking the pilot than noticing my death grip on the side of the basket. As I stepped back onto solid earth, I felt grateful—for my survival, sure, but also for Charles’ sheer earnestness. It’s rare to find someone that passionate about dirt.

Did we ever go on a second date? No. But did I tell everyone I know about his composting skills? Absolutely. And the next time I met someone new, instead of dreading the potential awkwardness, I decided to embrace it. Because, really, it couldn’t get crazier than flirting over thermophilic decomposition at 2,000 feet.

Your Big Takeaway

The next time your dating life feels like a circus act—or worse, a Peter Jackson fantasy gone wrong—remember this: each unexpected date teaches you more about yourself. You might not meet “the one,” but you’ll gather enough stories to become the hero of your next dinner party (or online publication article).

Sometimes love feels like scaling the highest peaks at sunrise, serene and beautiful. Other times, love’s a hot air balloon ride with a guy who considers worms his soulmate. Either way, you’ve got to lean into the experience, laugh when it gets weird, and trust you’ll find your footing—even if it’s not where you expected.