(Be advised, the majority (aka all) of my friends are married (or divorced) with kids. They ALL have someone. I'm literally the last person I know from my friends growing up that is still single and ready to mingle.)
Here's the list of advice I get from every single person:
#1 I THINK YOU'RE AWESOME!
Yeah, I think I'm awesome too. I would make a fantastic girlfriend! I love football. I drink beer. I think I'm pretty funny, but the jury is still out on that one. I'm introverted, so I need my alone time, therefore I'm definitely not needy (if anything, I'm quite the opposite of needy). I have a job! I love baseball. I'm educated. And I'm a traveler.
However, as awesome as my female friends think I am, they're not trying to date me. And I'm not trying to date them.
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| From Derbyshire, England to... |
#2 YOU NEED TO MOVE TO A BIGGER CITY
That argument is mute and completely invalid. Yes, I currently live in the most derelict town on the planet, but I have literally traveled the world. I've lived in the US, Scotland, England, Thailand, and Korea. When I lived in Asia, I literally lived in the most densely populated area of the world. I've traveled all over Europe and Southeast Asia. Dating and men are the same everywhere.
Believe me.
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| ...the twinkling lights of Singapore |
#3 IT'LL HAPPEN WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT
That line doesn't work on me anymore, either. At one point when I lived in England, after being rejected for the umpteenth time, I decided I was done chasing guys and telling them I was interested in them. I told myself if they liked me, they could chase me for a bit because I was tired of running. They never chased and I didn't care. I was busy traveling and discovering who I am as a person. I learned a lot. I also was least expecting love, and guess what?! It didn't happen. For probably a good five years.
That's a long time to least expect something. I'm just sayin.
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| I looked in Kyoto, Japan. |
#4 HE'S OUT THERE SOMEWHERE
Honestly, I'm not trying to be a pessimist here, but I don't really believe that anymore. Like I said, I've been around the world...if in my mid-late 30's, dude still hasn't found me yet, I'm just one of those people that's strong enough (most of the time) to rely on myself. Like I said in my last blog: There is nothing a man can do for me that I can't do for myself.
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| And in Iceland, where even stone trolls have someone to kiss. |
#5 THEY'RE THE ONES MISSING OUT
Yeah, I know that. But dudes don't know that. It sucks that they don't even give me a chance to see what they're missing out on. The guys that I've been interested in over the last few years, they're genuinely good guys...however, they're just not good to me. They basically treat me like I'm covered in contagious scales and warts and the only way to keep from getting infected is to either ignore or be a jerk to me. Or both. (I'm not covered in scales and warts, by the way). So yes, un-scaled, un-warted me knows that the dudes who un-reciprocate my feelings are missing out...but that doesn't mean that it still doesn't hurt.
It hurts a lot. Sometimes that hurt will last a few days, others last months. And that's when I need my friends...so I text them instead of texting Dude, who inevitably won't text me back making me feel even worse. Because that's how every guy I've ever met acts.
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| I mean, who wouldn't want to date this? A thousand times better than Lara Croft. |
To my friends who have these conversations with me, please don't take offense (it's actually funny how similar every conversation is). I appreciate each and every one of you...you are the ones keeping me afloat. I'm also not giving up. I'm still on the hunt for Mr. Darcy...he's just annoyingly elusive.
Happy Trails!
And for good measure, I'd still go the Whole Wide World just to find him...
