My Mama Always Said...

Sometimes I feel like a complete fool. Does that ever happen to you? Looking back on my experiences, I can totally see what I did wrong, but at the time I was oblivious. I spoke to my mother the other day and, as it always does, the conversation went to dating and getting married. My 29th birthday is in a few weeks and she doesn't want me to be that weird guy you see at the store buying soup for one. She gave me advise on dating and women in general. One thing that she told me, that never occurred in my mind, that girls wanted to be pursued. This statement surprised me because of my mothers personality.

She is a very "no nonsense" woman and I imagine that she was that way when she was a teenager as well. It always puzzled me that my father had gotten a first date with my mother, because my father is one of those class clown, goofy, anything for a laugh kind of guy. Not the kind of dude she would hang out with. They were both popular people, but their circles didn't mix. One day my dad had it in his mind that he was going to go out with this popular girl. My mother took an instant dislike to my father, but he was persistent. Actually it was borderline harassment, the way Mom tells it, but he finally wore her down enough to get a first date, and it was love. Almost 40 years later, she tells her only single son, that no girl wants to wait on a guy to call her.

I look back at the girls I have gone out with and the ones that I didn't, and I can see that maybe she is right. I can now clearly see all the signals that these girls would send out, but I would let it whiz by like Ray Charles playing baseball. Makes me want to kick myself to tell the truth, and I would if I were more limber, but I can't fix what has already happened. I must focus on the future, but what if I don't see these opportunities again? I am a shy person and the thought of pursuing a girl scares the crap out of me. I've never been the type to initiate any type of conversation, and I know I could NEVER do what my dad did, especially when I know for a fact that the girl doesn't like me. My dad would say that I need to "man up", but easier said than done. I guess I'm just afraid of receiving a can of pepper spray in the face. Well, let me know what you think world while I go look for a set of safety goggles.

Thanks for the vent session...