They say that you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.  Well if that’s true, then brother, I am a certified chef at this point.  Being single–and newly single at that–is very different than I remembered it being.  A while back, I gave you a little hint of my experiences in the dating scene.  Well, I thought you could all use a few good laughs at my expense, so gather round children.

Now I am no stranger to the “first date.”  I have been on a few of these over the years before I was married.  The worst one of these pre-marital first dates involved an Arabic girl with a British accent who smoked A LOT of pot.  And I’m not a drug guy at all. The few times I have seen pot, in my mind I’m screaming, ” HOLY GEEZE THAT’S POT!” And that date was all thanks to a buddy who had a class with her and set it all up as a joke on me, telling her I was into pot when she flat out asked him. A friend in need, huh.  Lol.

Well let’s begin, shall we?  Where to begin? Since becoming single, I have joked with friends that I lead the nation, per capita, in Facebook friend requests from divorced women.  Not exactly a title I was ever shooting for in life.  But eventually some of them have turned into dates.  Dating someone when you are older always seems more like a job interview than a date. The whole time I am constantly asking myself questions like “Could I spend the rest of my life with this person?” or “Would I want this person spending any amount of time around my kids?”  For the most part, the answer to both of those has been a resounding NO.  One such date as at a restaurant with a woman a few years older than myself. Which I have no problem with. We were having a great evening sitting around talking the evening away. Then she shares with me about an altercation she had with another woman from the town she lived and commenced to bragging about, and I quote, ” beating her dumb ass.” I mean… So… Where does the conversation go at this point?  I mean why would someone brag about something like that on a first date? Wouldn’t you save that type of personality trait until at least a second date?  The date didn’t exactly spiral out of control from there, but it also didn’t advance to a second date.

The worst part of dating again is the vulnerability that goes along with putting yourself out there like that. The whole internet dating was a complete bust. It led to a few dates that never led to meeting anyone that I would consider to be my type. Internet dating also landed me stood up on a few separate occasions. What is crazy to me is that these relationships progressed to the point of exchanging numbers and agreeing to meet. Nothing more depressing than sitting somewhere with flowers, and the person they were meant for never showing up.

That being said, it hasn’t been all bad. I know it’s a tough process that will take time. And eventually, I’ll meet someone new. My main goal is to not rush into something that’s not right for me. I know it’s not worth jumping into a relationship just for the sake of being in a relationship. And until then, I’ll take it one date at a time and keep “cracking eggs” as they come along.

Have a great day 😉

A. Failure