dodge ball

Hate is a strong word that I don’t use very often so when I say I hate the playground period of what might eventually become a relationship I really mean it! You know those days after you first meet someone great then enter into the world series of dodge ball? Your aim is to be a good and fair player while secretly believing that you’ve got that bobbin’ and weavin’ thing down as you begin to disclose the many nuances that make you you. The ball is thrown, you dodge it with dexterity, you think SCORE! But what about all the times you move a little too quickly and lose your footing or just flat out get knocked on your ass? I hate to admit it, but I’m still trying to master being the mistress of agility and though I am a Libra, balancing is an act sometimes off center not to mention that baggage we naively think is stored nicely in the back of a locker somewhere until it shows up on the top of our heads throwing us off balance at the most inopportune moment. We start to wonder if the other person is going to initiate another round or leave the field entirely.

Honestly I am really shy by nature and find the whole getting to know you thing not quite as melodic as the song. That said, I have met people on my own, been personally introduced, accepted blind dates, met men online that either did or did not lead to a date, and dexted (I assumed in this day and age that dexting had to be a word so I Googled. No surprise, there it was in the urban dictionary however, their meaning did not quite fit mine because I did not meet my dexter on a singles website and had actually seen my dexting suitor in a suit). Dating via text has its moments. The sound of two taps on a crystal glass that signaled a waiting message when I turned on my phone in the morning never failed to jump start my sleepy heart. I began to anticipate daily exchanges and nightly affections that sent me soundly off to sleep, pouted when they didn’t come. Now if you’ve been reading The Eclectic Eye with any regularity, you know that I don’t necessarily espouse electronic communication. There is too much room for misunderstanding exactly how some words are intended when you actually know someone. Imagine how crazy it can get when you really aren’t all that familiar with how a person speaks. Way too much misinterpretation flows between the wires and before you know it, you’re on your booty by your lonesome with your lips stuck out.

Regardless of how you do the dating thing, we’ve all got a bag with some stuff in it and all of it is not bad stuff. When you knock a person down or they stumble, extend your hand and help them...there was something about them that attracted you in the first place. Start there and begin again. But if the game is stopped at the first sign of a challenge and the towel is thrown in, think of it this way, you still won because now you’re a step closer to the one. And here’s a tip for the score card…go for the full sensory experience that comes with physically getting together for a date. Trust a girl who knows, no texted picture will ever feel like that first kiss from a new somebody and when you do smooch don’t…

keep your peepers open! ® …at least not the first time ;)