My Brain on Dating

Dating is awesome.

It can be fun, exciting, and surprising. There’s nothing quite like getting those first “getting to know someone, what should I wear, holy crap is my hair alright?!” butterflies in your stomach.

Dating is awesome.

But it can also suck.

In case you were looking for another reason — Reason #623, let’s call it, why not? —  why dating can be the absolute WORST:

Let’s think about the brain. We’ll use my brain as an example. Okay. On any average day — here’s today’s — my brain is thinking about that book that I just read (The Rosie Project was super duper good, folks!!), what book books I’m going to read next, sandwiches, how AHHHHMAZING the Brewers are doing (can I get an UP TOP?!), mindlessly staring at things, work, sandwiches, existential mucking around, and bodily functions.

There’s a lot going on in there.

Compare that to my brain on dating:

It’s incredibly irritating. I don’t want to believe that it’s true. I hate hate hate that it is true. But honestly? It’s kind of true. I sit around, aimlessly waiting for a phone call, a text, a sign, ANY sign that the date went well and he likes me, he really likes me! And I KNOW it’s not just me who does this. Right?

RIGHT?!

My rational brain knows that it’s statistically unlikely that it’s ever going to work out. My rational brain is trying to evaluate this person based upon their personality, attractiveness, sense of humor, charisma, intelligence, appeal. My rational brain is trying to process a lot of information — so tell me about your job! where did you grow up? how many siblings do you have? – and see if there’s a connection, a compatibility. My rational brain is telling me to take things slowly. My rational brain is telling me to chill the vanilla cupcake out already!

My emotional brain however, well, it’s taken on a life of it’s own. My emotional brain just picked out the floral arrangements at our wedding. My emotional brain is naming our kids and deciding between the suburbs or the city. My emotional brain is the all of the WORST.

By the time I remember that I’m still on a date and focus back on the conversation and the actual person sitting in front of me, inevitably I’ve said something weird and the moment’s over and I’ve totally blown it and there’s truly no way of explaining what just happened and then I wonder why the good ones never call me back.

Whoofta.

So yeah. THIS IS WHY I’M KINDA SORTA BAD AT THIS.

And more to the point — this is why I don’t do this all that often. It gets exhausting, losing your brain like that. Even if only for a few days.

But despite what it does to my brain,  and my usually pristine amount of “sandwich thinking time”, dating is pretty awesome.

The butterflies, the dinners, the long romantic walks on the beach (do they still do that anymore?! I need to find a beach.)

It’s all awesome.

I just need to mash up my rational brain and emotional brain, a super-dating hybrid if you will (I may even wear bring out the tights and cape). I need to calm the vanilla cupcake down, have fun, and see where this whole dating thang takes me.

I may have an incredibly awkward time.

I may meet the man of my dreams.

But no matter what, it’ll be a chance to learn, a chance to grow, a chance to wear that LBD that’s been taking up dust in my closet.

Right?

RIGHT?!