A young woman who is in a relationship with a man almost three times her age has opened up about her love story.
28-year-old Kelsey Hopeful is a happy young woman who never thought she would end up in a romantic relationship with a 76-year-old widower. Her life, however, changed forever when she decided to attend a yoga class.
As the San Diego girl attended a yoga class, she met Guy BonGiovanni, a widower from Alaska who wanted to give yoga a try as means of coping with the death of his wife of 42 years.
After the pair started talking to each other, Kelsey was drawn to Guy’s reassuring voice and his story-telling abilities, whereas they enjoyed their shared moments without rushing into anything.
“We talked alone in that gym for two hours and when he said his goodbyes, he just walked away. There were no phone numbers asked for, nor last names, no guarantees that we would ever see each other again. That is how the story of us began,” the 28-year-old explained.
“It was not love at first sight but more of a recognition of each other. We took our time walking our way into love. At first, the attraction for me was the sound of his voice and his ability to tell a story. I could listen to him for hours.”
Over the next year, Guy and Kelsey developed a romantic relationship and grew close to each other even though they admitted it wasn’t love at first sight that brought them together.
“In the earliest steps of our relationship, I would cry alone about our 48-year age gap. We had beautiful times together watching plays, going for hikes, or finding pastry shops, but tears would come,” Kelsey admitted.
“I can remember we were eating pastries in Santa Monica and I began to cry in front of him and not because I had just tasted the best rum-ball in my life, but because I was experiencing joy on another level and then suddenly I remembered that he is 48 years older than me and he has fewer summers ahead of him than I do.”
Eventually, the young woman learned to accept the present as it is and stop worrying about the future after Guy told her “there is no point in crying about death until it happens” and urged her to live for the now.
“When the friendship blossomed into us becoming lovers, it was important to me that we kept the opinions of others away from my ears, especially in the beginning,” Kelsey said.
“When we first met, I was a person who was concerned about the opinions of others and was a people-pleaser. For the first year of our relationship, I didn’t tell anyone.
“After getting to know Guy, he became my greatest motivator to learn how to live more true to my heart and not be afraid to be who you are.”
Though people often mistake her for Guy’s granddaughter or caregiver, Kelsey has learned to accept their age gap with a smile on her face. She also faced her family and told her loved ones about her unconventional relationship one by one.
“When we are in public, there is a good chance that people from a distance may think I am Guy’s caregiver,” the 28-year-old added.
“Even when we explain we are a couple, we have received no snarky comments or facial expressions of horror. We’re better together and I think people feel that when they meet us and see how happy we are.”
As for her newfound perception of age, Kelsey now no longer fears growing old, as Guy helped her realize that a person can be happy at any stage in life.
“Another benefit to our age gap is that we think about what’s my time worth on earth today. Guy has an ocean’s worth of life experiences, but he shares his wisdom with spontaneity and care,” she concluded.
“He is the most important person in my life and the best example of how to age healthy and be happy at any stage in one’s life. I am no longer afraid to grow into an old woman anymore.”
Congratulations to the couple!
What are your thoughts on this story? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to SHARE this post with your family and friends. For more news and stories, follow us on Facebook!