Byte: Darlene Green ~ Musical Chairs Leads To Love!

Darlene tells a funny story in this shorter episode. It's one in which she finds herself at an event, (and an event she didn't want to go to, really) where she gets switched from table to table. Little did she know, that amidst all the chaos, the Universe was setting her up to find a love for the ages!

Transcript

Hi everyone and welcome back to the podcast. This time I'm introducing you to the extraordinary Darlene Green, Who during her 20-year military career earned her MBA and served in three commanding officer positions, Including base commander, Where she led over 1, 200 personnel across multiple departments. But in 2006, She did something that I thought was really beautiful and seriously groovy. She founded the Returning Warrior Workshop, Which is a nationally recognized program that continues to help service members and their spouses successfully reintegrate and reclaim their wellness. As you'll hear, She and I got along like a house on fire, But it was her magical story about how she met her beloved husband that captured my heart. It kind of reminded me of musical chairs, And I know that sounds really weird, But you'll completely understand once you listen to this episode. All right, Without further ado, Here's the amazing Darlene Green. Well, At the same time, Unbeknownst to me, Jim Green, Who was supposed to be at the table, He was a VIP of the event. He was a carrier airwing commander who brought the Reagan around. He was in charge of all assets that flew in the air, And he was sitting next to Mrs. Reagan and Governor Schwarzkopf or Schwarzenegger. But he was supposed to have two seats for two friends, So three seats total at that VIP table, And they had only given him two, So they were like, Okay, Well, No, You need to make us a new table or figure it out, Because I'm not going to sit at the VIP table without my friends. So they made him a new table. I was seated and re-seated, Essentially, Right next to him. This has been quite the year, And I know we spoke. My husband died in March of early Alzheimer's. He was diagnosed at age 64 and died four years later, And it was quite the journey for us. But that grief, Losing your best friend, So I finally got it right, By the way. He was an angel on earth, And if there was ever, You know, I know we talk about miracles. This isn't going to be the miracle I talk about, But boy, Was he a miracle in my life. He was just a gift from God, And all the angels handed me exactly what I needed. The sky parted, The clouds lifted, And the sun came in my life in the form of Jim Green. He was funny and just made me laugh all the time, Every day, All day long. If he was talking, He was making you laugh. So best friend, Peaceful life, Like I had a beautiful marriage, Better marriage than anyone I know in my whole life. We just had this just love, Affection. It was perfect, Until this tragic news, Right, Until the memories started slipping. Initially, I fought it and was like, I don't believe you. Like, No. So you want to talk about work? I went to work. Okay, Let's check. Mold can actually look like dementia. Maybe he has mold. He did have mold. Okay, Well, Let's detox. You know, Challenging the doctor. Well, How do you know it's Alzheimer's? You can't really know until you do an autopsy, Right? So maybe it isn't mold. Maybe it's something else, And did hyperbaric chamber, Ozone therapy, All the mold detox, DNA testing, Gene testing, Pulse electromagnetic frequency, Hydrogen water, You name it, Brain tap, Exercise, Diet, No alcohol, No soda, Organic only, No seed oils, You name it, We did it. And he was a very willing, Graceful patient of mine. Like, I put him through the ropes. And we were very, Like, The whole day was therapeutically aligned to make the most possible. And we even went out of country four times to get stem cells via IV and injection. And I got them too, Because I had those autoimmune things, Right? Yeah, I mean, Yeah, I can't even imagine that journey. My father has dementia. And so it's been interesting witnessing him. You know, He's had it for about 10 years. And, You know, He'll be fine for a while. And then you'll notice that the plateau has, He's gone down, And then he'll be fine and maintained for a while. And, And then the so, Thank you. I am, I just love your whole description of the sun coming down and all of this stuff. So let me ask you, When you saw him for the first time, Do you think he's the one? Oh, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, No, It was actually very serendipitous. I was in San Diego, I worked on this at the pier, And right in on Harbor Drive, Right next to USS Midway, The museum. And there was a very big event happening on Midway for this, The homecoming of the port of USS Ronald Reagan, It was coming around. And my public affairs officer had said, Arlene, I need you to go, You know, You need you want to go to this event, This is a $500 plate dinner, It's, It's a, You know, The black, Black tux, White tux, You know, All of the trimmings, And you want to go to this. And I said, Okay, So I invited my, My girlfriend's couldn't come, Like, I had three that just bailed that couldn't make it at the end of it. So I wasn't gonna go. And he came around again, That day, I had my uniform all ready. And he's like, You're going right? I go, No, My girlfriend can't make it. I'm not doing this black tie event alone, Right? And he said, You really need to go. No, You, You really, You know, It's kind of your job. Like, This is your peer, You know, This is your and I'm just like, Oh, Come on. He's like, You know, I'm like, I'm not gonna know anybody. There's gonna be 5000 people there. I'm not gonna know anybody. And he said, No, You need to go. So I was like, All right. So I remember walking up the brow of the ship thinking, I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm all decked out right in the long gown, The slit at the side, The gold cummerbund, It was, You know, It's a beautiful uniform. And I'm going by myself. And I ended up being seated at the table with Dr. Seuss's wife was so much fun. They had these ties that were all sparkly. And we were laughing. And it was just really fun. And this was at a time in my life where I didn't have a lot of laughter. I was going through a court battle. I was trying to protect my daughters from a father that had no boundaries. And I won't get into their story. That's their story. But a tough, Tough time. There was not a lot of sunshine. So that was really fun. And then I got tapped on the shoulder that the person who they thought wasn't coming actually came and now they needed my seat. So I got popped out of that seat. Well, At the same time, Unbeknownst to me, Jim Green, Who was supposed to be at the head table, He was a VIP of the event. He was a carrier airwing commander who brought the Reagan around. He was in charge of all assets that flew in the air. And he was sitting next to Mrs. Reagan and Governor Schwarzkopf and or Schwarzenegger and the son Reagan and even famous movie stars, Very several. But he was supposed to have two seats for two friends. So him and so three seats total at that VIP table. And they had only given him two. So they were like, Okay, Well, No, You need to make us a new table or figure it out. Because I'm not going to sit at the VIP table without my friends. So they made him a new table. I was seated and reseated essentially right next to him. Well, Susan, My dear friend Susan, Who was basically had decided that day that she was going to find him a girl. She said that mean, Jim, We're going to find you a girl. And I sit down at the table and she's like, Elbowing. I'm like, No ring like, You know, And, And he's like, I see your eyes here. But I am in a space and time that I'm never going to date again in my whole life. That's where I was because my picker was broken. Obviously, I had done this badly twice. Very naively. I thought I was marrying this great guy both times. And then it's a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Shyne scenario after the wedding date, Right? So I'm never dating again. I'm never married again. And certainly not right now in the midst of this chaos. So no, I did not. I what I saw next to me was a guy who was beloved by all these people that came up to him and when I did wanted to tell you saw love pouring out for him. That was very interesting. I'd never seen that before for a man in my actually, Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen it for a woman even but this was very rare. And then he was funny. And we bantered with humor, Which was fun. And he was very much a gentleman. So but he was not flirting with me. He was not. You know, I figured if a naval aviator was interested in me, I knew it. Like, I knew it. And he did not give me any vibe like that. We danced one time and Susan took a photo of us which I still which I still have, Which is really precious to me. Because but I remember at the time dancing by why are you taking our photo? That's the weirdest thing ever. Like, So, So no. And then they contrived a party. The party had just 12 people but you know, Brett, Brian and Susan are having a party. They thought it would be a great idea for you to come but you know, Would you like to go and I'm like, Oh, I love Brandon says yes, I would love to go. So I, I go to this party during the party. He starts massaging my shoulders. And like I was sitting on the floor and I'm like, What do naval aviators think they can just touch? Like, What's going on here? Like it was so I proceed to tell him all the garbage going on in my life. Well, Like, You know, Anyway, It was very funny. And he's just like, Whoa, But then he still says, You know, I had a really good time. Would you would you like to? Oh, I'm not dating. I'm not dating. I can't date. No, I'm not dating. And I and I meant it. But but I did tell him like, I had a really good time tonight. It was really fun. And so basically, She tried and Susan and Jim contrived all these group activities. There was a sailing expedition, There was a thing there was just all these group things that I could do group things, I was willing to do group things. And over time, I got to really enjoy really all of them. And then he kind of said, You know, Would you let me would you let me take you on a date? And, And I did. And then and that was even that didn't really matter, Because he was going to be moving across the country. So I'm certainly not going to get involved with somebody moving across the country. But then, But then he kissed me, Like way late in the game, Like way late in the game, The week he was moving, Actually. And the, You know, The world kind of rocked. And I was just like, Oh, Oh, Dear. I hope you all enjoyed Darlene and her incredible storytelling prowess. I have to say that it was kind of seamless and so easy to be with her and have a conversation. And yeah, I enjoyed every single minute I spent with her. I just have to say that once again, She reminded me that, You know, We can wake up one day and not even comprehend the kind of magic that the universe is going to bring into our lives that day. And so talking with her, I really understood that, You know, There's a reason to get out of bed every day. You never know what kind of surprises are in store. I need to thank Darlene for coming on the show and being so vulnerable and telling all of her stories. Thanks to every single one of you that listens. As you know, I'm always looking for ratings and reviews. So if you like what you hear, Hit the like button or the five stars or write a review. You have no idea how happy that makes me. Thank you for listening. And here's my one request. Be like Darlene. I mean, She's in love with the magic of the world and she believes confidently that the world has her back. So be like Darlene and dream big, Wish big, Create big and bring your own brand of beauty and creativity and imagination into this world. We need it. We need each and every one of you to create your own brand of magic and beauty. Thanks for listening and I'll see you next time for the very next episode of The Pod.