For The Love Of Dating

Spring is the time of year where daters ought to be thinking about sprinkling their dating seeds. With summer around the corner and your man closet’s recently have been spring cleaned, you are left with lots of fabulous dating opportunities. After all, summer is the season when the hotties reveal their toned and tanned abs, the days stretch long into the nights and your natural tan glow makes you feel better than ever, right? All that said, if you’re feeling a little dusty in the dating attitude department, you won’t be successful no matter how hot you are feeling in your new bikini, so check out my 10 favorite things about dating to kickstart your enthusiasm engine into high gear to remind yourself what there is to love about dating.

Gives you a good reason to shop.

Nothing says confidence like a new outfit or ten. And if you can’t figure out with your slick accountant how to write off your new cute date tops, dresses, sandals and more as a necessary investment in your future, try leaning on sympathetic mom or dad for few new wears – they will understand the justification for your new wardrobe when you are single, but try doing it when you are married and you will get a giant eye roll.

Free stuff.

Let’s face it – even in an age of equality where women should at least do the “reach” and are expected to pay some of the time, when it comes dating financials, the scales tip in our favor. We get treated to plenty of meals, drinks, cab rides, flowers and so on and so on… far more than you’d get from your pizza delivery guy if you stayed home

The possibility.

Day to day life (i.e. work, gym, friends, family) can all be so predictable, but dating is far from it. You never know how a date will turn out or how you might feel about it, which is what makes it so exciting and something to get excited about.

The butterflies.

The sweaty palms before a date, the semi-queasy feeling when his name pops up on your caller ID, the role playing of what he’ll say and what you’ll say in response – all those subtle indicators that let you know you have a schoolgirl crush… silly, yes, but the warm fuzzies that feel oh so good!

Feeling gawgeous!

Being all dolled up, being complimented and being treated like a lady all (usually) comes with dating… and admit it, it feels awesome! Plus when you are out in the dating playground you are generally more aware of your appearance so you take better care of yourself and in turn, look and feel your most stunning.

The learnings.

Since dating is all about the test drive, whether obvious or hidden, there is always something to be learned about what works for you or doesn’t, on each and every date. The insight could be small – something like wearing heels really does make you look hotter and feel more confident, to something bigger like it is critical for you to be with a guy who appreciates fun as much as you do. Extracting that gem of wisdom is worth your time, every time.

First kisses.

Enchanting, knee-weakening, explorative… if it’s a good one, a first kiss is like no other kiss you have with a guy. It’s a non-verbal communication that says, “yeh, I dig you” and any nerves you may have had, dissipate right along with background noise, people chaos, etc.

Bad dates.

That’s right, when I was dating, since I took a “just say yes” approach I never really knew what I was going to get (but seriously, when do you?!) and sometimes my date when really awry leading to hilarious tales to tell with my girlfriends over Sunday mimosa brunch.

Great dates.

You close the door behind you and finally exhale, falling to the floor in that romantic comedy move where you are in a sort of dazed but blissful state. Admit it – you have it every time you have a really fabulous date – the kind that makes you believe in falling in like/love again… the kind that has you not caring about the stupid rules and just wanting to go for it!

New adventures.

Whether it is a new restaurant, new bar, new type of guy, activity never tried, or sexual position finally dared, dating is filled with all sorts of fun new opportunities… the more open-minded you are, the more fun it is.

And of course… let us not forget that dating is what leads us to finding our life partner. You never know who the one before “the one” is going to be but what you can be sure of is that if you aren’t out there, you’ll never get there. Here’s to a fabulous season of dating… to sprinkling your dating seeds far and wide, and to perhaps one of them blossoming into bright, beautiful like or love.