So I guess I've made a new friend. Maybe.
Okay, so it was months ago that I swore off those internet dating sites such as match.com, cupid.com, etc. A few weeks ago I recieved a "wink" from someone on match.com.
Now, I don't know if you're aware of how these things typically work. Statistics show that 99.999999% of the time it's men who first approach women on such sites. That's how it's been since time pretty much time began, probably since the cavemen first got involved in internet dating.
So I clicked through to her profile... not only is she as cute as you might imagine (maybe even cuter), but she seems intelligent, spirited and optimistic. Someone that, given a great deal of luck on my part, I would certainly be interested in, well... romantically... but also a person that I would love to have at least as a friend.
We had made arrangements to meet, but given the vagaries of work and child care schedules it's been something of a challenge. Basically, being a responsible adult and parent is not exactly conducive to dating or even just meeting for lunch and maybe starting out as friends.
So let's flash back to last Thursday.
She and I were supposed to meet for lunch, but she was unable as she found out at the 11th hour that she was supposed to pick up her daughter early from school. That's fine. I would strongly prefer a woman who puts her children first. Anything else is simply unacceptable in my view. She sent me a very contrite email and I responded that it was no problem... "kids are always first" as I put it.
That evening I was sorting through a batch of old emails and I found something less than pleasant. A few weeks ago I had received innumerable emails, texts and calls from a friend who was very upset about something. It was a situation that, while unpleasant, was something that she had no small part in creating yet somehow refused to take any responsibility for. I looked at the emails, cringed for a moment and quickly deleted them.
I then saw the last message I had sent to my new friend. I thought of how she made a very strong point that she worked to see the good in everyone and how she seemed resolute about staying at least "cautiously optimistic" despite the occasional disheartening experience.
And I smiled. What a wonderful counterpoint to my other friend.
So I sent her another message...
"Oh, and one last thing... there are things in this life worth waiting for and I'm guessing meeting you is one of them."
In retrospect, I hope that last message wasn't overkill, and I do hope I'm not perceived as pushing her too strongly in one direction or another. Ultimately I'm looking forward to the prospect of making the acquaintance of someone who goes at life with a strong, positive demeanor, who does the best she can for her child and certainly doesn't play the victim role. Anything else is just icing on the cake.
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