Getting back into dating

Dating. It can be so much fun or so much work. I've been single for a good while now. And I kind of love it. There are times when it can get boring or times where I wish I had a boyfriend to cuddle with and watch a movie on a Friday night. But all in all, being single just seems to be so easy that it makes me not want to put in work. 

For the longest time I felt like that. But now I feel like I'm ready to get back into the dating game. I'm ready to start dating again; ready to go out on the 'several dates' before you know if the guy is relationship material. When you're enjoying single life, dating seems like work. But in fact it's so easy to make it fun! 

Whats a typical first date night like for me? Well, as always I think I'm starting early by giving myself two hours, when in reality I always end up running a little late. Although if I really like the guy, I'm usually ready on time. Funny how that works right? I start off by doing my hair and make up then picking the outfit and the look. Choosing the right accessories, the right lip color, and the right shoes. Then it's waiting for him to pick me up or if I'm meeting the guy then it's waiting for him to show up at the destination. I have yet to go on a date where the guy is early. No surprise there, but man would it be nice if I could date a guy who is early for once. 

My idea of a good first date, is grabbing a coffee, dinner, somewhere where we can talk so we can get to know each other. Somewhere not too noisy. The last thing you want is to be yelling at each other at some loud bar. I'm not a difficult person to please. I like simplicity. Would it be nice to meet a guy who goes above and beyond? YES! That would be awesome, but I have yet to meet that dream guy. I like to think that if a guy was going above and beyond for the first date then he would take me somewhere romantic like a horse drawn carriage in the park downtown, then maybe somewhere with a to-die-for view of the city. That would be amazing in my eyes. 

Point is, I'm ready to get back out there, and I'm excited to see what comes my way. I'm going to make the best of it and if I meet someone amazing then great. Dating should be fun, and I have a feeling it will be. 

Instagram: jovi_casie

What happened to human interaction?

While at a Starbucks recently, I noticed something that made me instantly think that people really do need to put down their phones and maybe actually speak to the nice stranger that says hi. 

While sipping on my Venti Iced Passion Tea Lemonade and browsing on my ipad, I suddenly looked up and noticed my surroundings. There was a group of students at the table next to me discussing a book, I  overheard their conversation a little. They were having a really cool discussion, and I kind of wished I was part of this study group. The couple sitting in front of me were literally sitting in silence. Both on their phones, the guy looked around a few times as though he was bored. His girlfriend or wife didn't even notice because she was so 'busy' on Instagram. (When I walked by her to use the restroom I saw it on her iphone screen.) There was one person sitting at the bar area doing homework. One guy sitting behind me doing the same. And an elderly lady reading a book and sipping her coffee even further behind me. Randomly, there was a guy dozing off while listening to his headphones in the back corner. And not surprisingly everyone in line waiting for their drinks were looking at their phones until it was time to order. Not one person seemed to say hi to each other or even smile. As I looked all around me the only people who stood out the most was the group next to me. I was honestly fascinated that such discussions still take place. Why was I so fascinated at what seems like a common thing? Simply because it really isn't that common anymore. 

Why is it so hard for people to socialize in such a small area such as a coffee shop? I understand that some come alone to study, and I think there's nothing wrong with that. These couples or friends that come here to hang out but end up being on their phones the whole time, are just nuts. Yes, nuts! Because they can't interact with the person they came here to hangout with. 

So then something amazing happened as I was observing everyone. An elderly guy came in to enjoy his coffee. He ordered then walked by me looking for somewhere to sit. He found a single table in front of the group of students, so he was to my left but across from me. He must have noticed that I was observing. He smiled at me and I smiled back. A few minutes later, he walked over to me and politely said that he comes in to enjoy a small coffee everyday and that he likes to conversate with new people. Always being the cautious person I am, I was a little reluctant at first. He then asked if he could join me. I told him that I was writing but he could join me for a few minutes. He was really old, and he seemed like one of those nice old people that just wanna talk to someone because they're lonely. Turns out he was. 

He began to tell me about how he comes in everyday and he was widowed and used to come here with his wife when she was still alive. He said he still comes in for his coffee because he likes the company of others. I thought it was so sweet but sad about him loosing his wife. So then he asked me what I did and what I was writing about, so I told him I was a writer and blogger. He was so fascinated by it. I could go on and on about our cool conversation, but it would take a whole other story. The conversation lasted about a good half hour, and the guy was really nice and we had a genuine conversation.

I wish this kind of incident happened more often in life. Had I been one of those many other people too busy on their cell phones, I wouldn't have looked up, and I wouldn't have met a cool person and had that interesting conversation. My point is that we should put down our phones and tablets and iPads, and strike up a conversation.  As Einstein said, " I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots."