“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” – Meister Eckhart
I am excited about someone… and also scared. Do you know how you have been wanting something for so long and then you get it and you start questioning if you really wanted it in the first place?
I think it is fear creeping in. My life is good, predictable, comfortable. My heart is right here where I can guard it. Do I want to just hand it to someone else? Do I want to chance it again? Do I want to risk being cheated on, betrayed, my heart broken and my mind crippled?
I can see I already am in my “let’s find something wrong with this person”mode so that I can continue to be alone. That involves infinite googling. And I did. And I found. Not about him, but about a relative. I decided to relax a bit, to take a day at a time, and not to hold him accountable for the sins of others.
We are from 2 completely different worlds, but it seems that we appreciate some of the same qualities, such as honesty and respect. Even though I mostly have good to great dates, what made this date amazing was that immediately it was if we have been best friends forever. Not only that, but there were sparks from the get go.
Our date was yesterday, Friday, St. Patrick’s Day. We met at the corner of my work and from there we walked to a Korean Restaurant that was awesome. It had a fun vibe and they had an amazing passion fruit drink. We had so much fun there that we didn’t want the date to end.
From there we went to his apartment where dropped his bag off. I never did that before and I don’t recommend it, but I knew this guy enough and knew I would have no issues going into his apartment. And I didn’t. We walked in he dropped his bag off, I went to the bathroom, and then we left. We went to another 2 different bars/pubs and we danced and laughed. Then he took me to the train station. We said good bye dying to see each other again.
oh yeah, we kissed and the world seemed to stop. I can’t wait for the second date.
“Don’t you long for something different to happen, something so exciting and new it carries you along with it like a great tide, something that lets your life blaze and burn so the whole world can see it?” – JulietMarillier
The above was written the day following that date. And here, a week later, the story continues, or should I say, it ends:
After our mutual excitement to see each other he mentioned he would meet at the corner of my work like the first date unless he came up with other plans.
Then on the afternoon of the date he gave me the name of a Pub near my office to meet him. The place was very loud and busy. I got there 3 minutes after him and he already had a beer in his hand. I ordered a drink, but I was thinking that we would eventually leave to go to a restaurant where we didn’t have to yell to talk to each other.
Slowly it dawned on me that this was the date.
Then he makes a point of telling me what a big lunch he had and that he will not eat anything the rest of day/night. And I thought ours was a dinner date.
The whole vibe was off. We managed to talk but it was not easy like the first date.
As the evening progressed I knew that was that last time I would see him. There was a certain sorrow and sadness in that realization, mixed with relief and elation.
I am not sure what had changed, but it did. Perhaps I was already biased by what I found online about his relative (which he confirmed was true). Perhaps it was the cheap beer and lack of food. Perhaps because after talking more I realized that we don’t really want the same things in life and have different views about certain subjects.
Perhaps I have too many expectations, but I expected more from a guy that was dying to see me. Specially after an amazing first date, I thought the second would be even better. I don’t mind cheap places and just meeting for a drink, but let me know that is the plan.
“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” – Alexander Pope
After being in this bar for over 2 hours, I had 2 small drinks and he had 6 beers. He walked me to the train station. We hugged good bye and he said it was an awesome date, and I said: No it was not. That seemed to shock him, but it shouldn’t have, after all he was there with me.
Still we have texted niceties since yesterday but that is it. I had intentions of inviting him to go watch a friend sing tonight, but after last night it seems our worlds are farther apart then I had previously thought.
He is still a great guy, but not for me. There wasn’t anything horrendous about his actions, and he will probably make another girl very happy. But to me the magic and chemistry was broken and I don’t think we can get it back. It is all about how a person makes you feel, and he made me feel irrelevant.
And then all of a sudden my heart is not going anywhere and I am surrounded by the comfort and safety of being alone again.
And the search continues…
“We are all alone, born alone, die alone, and—in spite of True Romance magazines—we shall all someday look back on our lives and see that, in spite of our company, we were alone the whole way. I do not say lonely—at least, not all the time—but essentially, and finally, alone. This is what makes your self-respect so important, and I don’t see how you can respect yourself if you must look in the hearts and minds of others for your happiness.” – Hunter S. Thompson
I always enjoy hearing your stories .. your adventures. Good for you for listening to your gut and your heart. Too many people make excuses about why things didn’t work out. You sound like a more concsious being than your date. Kudos to you!
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Hi Elizabet, Thank you for always reading and providing sound advice! This whole online dating process has been such a learning experience, about me and others. It would be interesting to hear his side of the story….oh he just texted…perhaps he really thinks it was a good date lol. At any rate, I am willing to be a friend but I don’t think he and I have any romantic future. Wishing you a blessed week ahead! 🙂
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The more I think about the “beer date” it sounds like he was treating you like one of the dudes. Yes, he probably did have a good time, but he didn’t seem to be aware that you weren’t just another beer drinking buddy! Maybe this guy could be a friend you could go to the movies with or just know for casual outings as friends. Who knows?!?
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Now that you have mentioned, I think that is exactly how it was, buddies having a beer (or a cocktail in my case). Being friends sounds great to me, we shall see if he is up to it.
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How fast it changes…. that is why you have more than one date to decide. 🙂
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it all changed in a NY minute, as they say lol Thanks heaven for more dates. I was ready to get married after date 1. Thank you and wishing you a blessed week! 🙂
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You made a good story of it. Too bad you were disappointed.
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Hi Anne
I guess disappointments makes for good stories…I am sure there will be plenty more in the future. And hopefully some happy endings too. Stay tuned …
Thank you and have a blessed week! 🙂
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You should never be sorry that you have expectations. You can change them over time; that is your right, too. I have been trying to date again for several years. Finally, it is dawning on me that I am perfectly happy alone; I simply want someone sometimes; that is a dating only relationship. Could that change? Certainly, but I am not going to force it. I wanted to make certain you read my current post about my last attempt at online dating. I will continue to try, but I have a set of expectations and I am not going to change those. They are easier for someone I simply wish to go out with, but they still exist. Someone wants me forever? There is a lot of , um , red tape to go through – what was the book: “Great Expectations”.
Let me know what you think of my post.
And, Dear, don’t change all at once…let your mind and heart work together to find that special person or to change your expectations of who he should be.
Scott
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Hi Scott, As usual you provide me with sensible well though out advice and I appreciate it. It does seem that as we get older and more comfortable in our single-hood we appreciate more the positive points of being single and it will be harder to find someone to get us to give that up. As far as expectations, they are a double edged sword. I struggle with it. I want to have expectations as I know what I deserve, what I work for and what I need, but still I want to expect nothing and be surprised by the miracles in my life. I am going to hop on over and read your post 🙂 Wishing you a blessed week ahead!
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As always, wonderful to hear your words.
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As always, you are so kind 🙂
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The truth is easy…
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The truth is not always easy, but always the right thing 🙂
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