I didn't mean to leave this blog unattended for so long, but the past couple of months have gone by in a blur. I spent lots of time with family and friends, completely avoided the dating scene, and focused on getting my life back on track and getting myself back in a good mental/emotional state. Over time, it worked. I barely flinched when my ex left a sad-sounding birthday message on my voicemail in August, I easily ignored some miscellaneous drunk text messages, and I stopped being even slightly curious about what he was up to. Life just moved on, and I was OK with the fact that he was no longer a part of mine. Eventually, I started feeling better than OK. I felt perfectly comfortable being alone and was happy with my new lifestyle, and that's when I knew I was ready to put myself out there again and give this whole dating thing another try.
Back in June or July, when I was lamenting my single status with a coworker at an office event, he started going off on a tangent about how he thinks he has some psychic abilities. This topic of conversation led to some jokes and eye-rolling, but at the end, he told me, "Don’t worry. You're going to meet someone. I get the sense that you're going to meet someone in September. No, really! Just wait, and tell me if I'm right."
Perhaps it was a true psychic prediction, or perhaps it was just a self-fulfilling prophecy that lingered in the back of my mind all these months, but I met someone. On the last night of August, I finally joined a free online dating site, and that same night, I messaged a cute guy who had a really interesting profile. He wrote me back the next morning, and we spent the whole day exchanging lengthy emails filled with anecdotes about our personal histories. He seemed really smart, witty, and funny, and his messages always made me smile. By midweek, we were talking on the phone, and that weekend, we went on our first date.
Luckily, all my qualms about awkward first dates turned out to be unfounded in this case. What started out as brunch turned into a full afternoon of walking around near the beach and talking for hours, which turned into dinner, which led to watching a movie at his place and going out for a super-late midnight meal at the end of the night. It was a crazy more-than-12-hour marathon date, but it was a great time. Hanging out together was … easy and comfortable, and it somehow felt as if I had known him for a long time even though we had just met. We went out again the very next day. And the weekend after that. And the weekend after that.
I have to keep reminding myself that there's still always the potential for disaster. After all, four amazing dates does not a happily-ever-after make. Still, sometimes it's fun to let my optimism run wild. I had forgotten how exciting it is to meet someone new, and I can't help but enjoy this feeling of limitless potential.
