After a marriage of nearly 40 years, and an amicable divorce, I was left feeling sad, empty, and in shock. It felt as if those years of my life had been for naught. The divorce fell under the category of “amicable” because it was the path of least resistance for my heart-worn, weary soul.
I moved three states away from where I had lived all my life and was alone for the first time. I felt isolated and profoundly sad at having failed at a forever relationship. It took me almost two years to regain my bearings. However, the loneliness I experienced was still very much present. In my heart, I knew that I wanted another chance at a forever relationship. I had learned much from my past mistakes and those of my ex-husband. Once again, I was ready for love and commitment. The question was where to find it?
Online Dating Here I Come…
Online dating seemed like the reasonable choice to seek out opportunities toward finding my forever person. I felt excited and hopeful at the prospect of choice from what I thought would be a vast reservoir of men. It should be no time before I would find my forever person. Little did I realize that this experience would take me to new levels of interpersonal behaviors and communication.
Chocolates, Anyone?
I am a woman in her sixties, or rather “of a certain age.” I expected nothing less than polite manners and interesting discourse from gentlemen of same. However, I found myself, at times, challenged by curious and uninvited interactions. Forrest Gump had it right when he stated that “life is like a box of chocolates.” No matter how finely I researched the online profiles, the human element was always a surprise. Online dating is like choosing from a “box of chocolates” blindfolded.
Not for the Faint of Heart
I have come to realize that self-discovery can become an art. Of course, anything can be made into an art with the right frame of mind, sense of adventure, and willingness to learn from life’s challenges. It is sometimes difficult to navigate those challenges with some of the interactions one must brave from the choices selected from Mr. Gump’s box of candy. It is with these thoughts in mind that I have chosen to share my experiences to both entertain and hopefully illustrate the realities of online dating, good and not so good… You may find that these experiences are not for the faint of heart.
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