Notice

I recall my first youth conference, when I was 14.  We had speakers talk about dating and romance, and the humor found in growing up.  One of the speakers talked about the steps of relationships, and the first step was “notice the difference.”  He claimed his three-year-old could probably identify most of us by gender, but he was talking about something different.  I think the general reaction of the audience was “yeah.”  But in reality, I was more like his 3-year-old.
I could identify gender, but I wasn't attracted to the girls.  Well, I found boys attractive, so I guess I did notice the difference, but not in the direction that was intended by the speaker.

That never stopped me from going to dances and dancing with girls, or going out on dates with girls.  But, to me, they were always just friends.  I never “noticed the difference.”  Even my wife started out as a friend – a very good friend with whom I had a remarkably similar set of interests.  And while love developed over time, the development of my relationship wouldn't be considered typical.  Then again, I generally enjoy being atypical.