I Got My Toe Wet

I haven't dated in over 25 years. I was married for 23 of those years, and have been divorced for two of them. Until recently, the thought of dating was the furthest thing from my mind. I have three kids who needed my full attention, I moved into a new home, plus I was just beginning my life coach certification program and growing my coaching practice.

Last week, I bit the bullet and signed up for (cough, cough) an online dating service. Friends were encouraging me to do this for a long time, and I was dreading it. It was hard enough finding good men to date 25 years ago. I could only imagine what I might find in the dating pool now!

The service I enrolled in is a matchmaking service. This appealed to me more than the other sites. It felt less like a "meat market", and I wanted to avoid psycho stalkers.

I had my first "match" call me two nights ago. We spoke for over an hour, and it was entertaining. There were some values that we shared, but overall, my intuition told me that this guy was not for me at all.

Guy number two is scheduled to call me either today or tomorrow. Intuition says that this guy will not be my speed either, but I am trying to keep an open mind. I have consciously been giving myself pep talks; so what if he's 8 years older than you? so what if he is balding? so what if he has a paunch?

If I have learned nothing else this summer, I have learned to suspend judgment. I have become so much more open to the differences we all have here in camp, and I am using some of my newfound wisdom as I enter the dating pool. I am celebrating that I got my toe wet in that pool, and eventually I will be in for a couple of laps. Who knows, in a year I may be swimming in the dating Olympics!