Clint Eastwood of Dating

So apparently, I decided to take a little hiatus. 

It's been over two weeks since my last post. I sat down and started writing a post last week, but the words just weren't coming easily and each thought passed a barricade that chastised them to the point of indecision. Hence my brutal deletion of anything that actually made its way onto the blank page.

A lot has happened in my "vacation", but I don't want to bore you with details. Let's just say I went to a couple amazing weddings, hung out with some great people, enjoyed Wisconsin, ran a colorful 5K and drank some beer. 

All in all, I'm a happy gal.  

A happy single gal. Single life is weird. But, at the same time, being single is extremely exhilarating. As a new member of this exclusive club, I'm experiencing both sides of it. Hence, today's post: 

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Dating Edition

The Good

+ I can do whatever I want, whenever I want and I don't have to check in with someone else. I have so much more time for friends and adventures! 
+ Getting the bed all to myself.
+ An endless amount of possibilities. 
+ Learning more about yourself, your needs and what you want in life.
+ Meeting tons of new people and making new friends.
+ It's so much cheaper!
+ Flirting 'till your heart's content. 

The Bad

+ Doubts.
+ Having no one to cuddle with.
+ The whole "Does he like me? What's he thinking?" internal battle. 
+ Flying solo at family functions or vacations. 
+ Rejection. 
+ When you want to see a movie/go to a concert, but have no one to go with. 
+ Text messages.

The Ugly 

+ Terrible pick-up lines. 
+ Awkward hookups and their aftermath.
+ Internet stalking your crush/exes on a consistent basis. 
+ Everyone and their mom getting engaged, and meanwhile, you're just flying solo. 
+ Overanalyzing every. damn. thing. 
+ The overwhelming fear of letting someone else in again. 

_________

Romance is a wonderful thing. Those lucky enough to have found it are often the envy of those still searching. And those still searching sometimes feel hopeless in their attempts to acquire romantic happiness. But being single in your mid-twenties is all about discovery: self-discovery, the discovery of wants and needs, etc. Personally, I think its an adventure - a roller coaster ride filled with ups, downs, twists and turns - that offers the opportunity to teach something new at every pass. 

Sure, it sucks sometimes. The looming questions often infiltrating our every brain cell as if they are needles and our soul is just a flimsy piece of paper. All of our friends heading down the aisle towards lifelong happiness, and we're just traipsing down the grocery aisle with our eggs, Oreos and bottles of wine. 

With the constant need to ponder "Where is this going?", dating in our twenties can be a battle of overanalyzing, worry and doubt. We find ourselves searching for the end-all, be-all relationship - our forever and always. 

And that's where I say pump the brakes. 

We're young. Why should we take the innocence, the fun, the youthfulness out of dating? We should relish in the fact that we're single, with no concern for the future. A date shouldn't be a job interview. We shouldn't pick applicants strictly to fill the "lifelong partner" role. Being single is, like I've mentioned, an adventure. Not a job. 

And on that note, I'm going to bow and take my exit. I could keep yapping, but I think this post has gotten quite long enough. 

Happy Monday, folks!


- A