Where did you meet your match?

My Mother set me up with a guy once when I was in high school. He worked for her, and at the time I didn't realize I was being set up. It was well-intentioned, I have no doubt, but ultimately very weird and awkward for me. So let's not talk about that.

At some point, I tend to ask my married friends how they met their partner. And then they get to tell their origin story. Most of these tales have been honed over the years of the relationship to become coherent stories. I like the long and winding versions much better than the quick-and-dirty statements like, "we went to school together," or "through a friend," or "in a bar," or "at work." Although each of those statements is still true, the longer versions tell me more about the couple overall.

A lot of couples' beginnings are starting to sound alike, as there are far fewer ways that people are now meeting their significant others. That's right: We are all becoming dependent on friends, bars and the Internet for our future partners. There's a very nifty chart on that link that tracks the various ways that people have met their spouses over the past 50 years. Who are we not relying on for a love connection? Parents, church and school.

The tracking of how we met the love of our lives is definitely a small piece in a much larger picture of people getting married later in life, moving far away from home and not looking for support from their hometown communities (church and schools). Which only leaves one question:

How did you meet your significant other? Share with me in the comments.