I have made the decision to enter the dating world, or at least dip my toes in. For anyone who knows me, this is a complete about face for me. I’ve been adamant about not wanting or needing a man for the last 10 years, since my marriage ended. It is a scary decision, but one driven from a longing deep in my gut, an undeniable desire.
Why am I dating again?
I recently ran into a man I first met during my early college years while I was visiting my grandparents. Thanks to social media, we’ve stayed in touch off and on over the years. Now we live in the same town. As a result we’ve hung out a few times, played card games with the kids and gone out to eat. It’s been really nice.
Through this experience, something woke in me, and filled me with a longing that I thought long dead. I began to recognize it as a genuine desire for companionship, adult talk and hand holding. There’s just something unique in a relationship between a man and a woman, that can not be fulfilled by a relationship with the best of girlfriends.
While this particular man and I are not compatible as more than friends, I am grateful for what he brought back into my life.
The Rules have Changed
Yikes! I haven’t dated in almost 15 years. I was with my husband, married my husband and then divorced shutting down that side of my life completely. It hasn’t even been on my radar. As a member of several single mom groups, most of what I have seen are the horror stories. It is a scary thing to get back out there. Things have really changed.
I am older. The men I would consider dating are older.
I am a single mom with teenage children. This is a whole new world with lots of opinions and other people to consider.
How you meet people is different. What people expect is different.
The whole world of the initial meet and interaction is foreign to me. Meeting people online, those first impressions being text messages and picture exchanges.
Wow, I’m just overwhelmed and feeling a big like a fish out of water.
As a result, I have decided to blog this experience in my life. The good, the bad and everything in between. And I’m looking for any suggestions, tip or tricks…