dating is hard.

dating is hard. just plain hard. i wish i was one of those folks who looked at it as fun and a way to meet lots of people bla bla bla. but i don't. and don't think those people are at a point where they truly just want to find their person...or maybe they are and they are just far more patient than me. but for over 10 years now i've been trying to enjoy this world of dating and despite how much it's changed...one thing remains the same, it sucks. and now with online dating, it feels like a job interviewing process. everyone (including myself!) is looking for their deal breakers and does this said person have any and if so, are they really deal breakers or can you live w/ some of them. and it forces people to probably make quick and sometimes rash decisions. like if you don't have this great first date, is it done. do you REALLY know this person isn't for you after one date? who knows. i know sometimes i totally know if it's just way off and they aren't for me but many times the date is ok...not great, not horrible...but you're constantly wondering if you should keep pursuing it or are you wasting your time. ugh, i wish sometimes you were allowed to cheat and peak into the dating crystal ball. i think after a certain amount of years invested in dating we should be allowed a few "cheats" -- almost like lifelines to keep you in the game. that would help for sure.

the only thing that somewhat helps my state of mind is i knowing there are many others in the world struggling w/ the same thing i am. i just listened to a bunch of them in focus groups as we're doing some target research for eHarmony and it's very interesting. no matter what site you're on or where you are in the process, if you're ready to find your person--you're pretty fed up with dating. so at least i'm not alone although it often times feels like i'm the last one standing...

so anyone who's got sound dating advice, bring it on. i'm open to it all at this point.

and thanks for reading my rant. good night :)