🌊 Me and Jack

✅  “Day at the beach”

With Jack, we spent a day at the beach. It was this rare kind of day when time goes by really slow. You’ve got no plans, and you are not in a hurry for anything. You’ve got a nice company and all day ahead to laze around. We had nothing to worry about except applying sunscreen every two hours to avoid sunburn.

First dates can be a bit overrated.

There's always a ton of pressure to make a good impression, have a fun time, and figure out if you want to see each other again. It can all be a bit overwhelming.

It’s a lot of pressure. It’s stressful. New person, new place, new environment. For me, it's often hard to just chill and have a good time, like all those articles say.

And let's not forget about all the self-doubt that creeps in - is my mascara smudging? Is my outfit alright? Does my hair look good after biking in a helmet? What should I talk about? What should I ask him? What is he thinking of me now? Do I like him? Does he like me? It's a lot to think about.

This time, it was different for me. I didn't care much neither about my mascara nor my outfit. I was feeling comfy, as if we were just having a good time doing nothing. Staring at the ocean, eating pizza, having chit-chat.

We also talked about what brought us to dating apps. He said, for him it was just fun, meaning he would be totally fine with seeing various women at the same time.

For me, becoming one of those women was anything but fun.

Two years ago, I may have responded to this first date differently. I may have become upset and thought that the entire experience was a waste of time, feeling as though it had led to nowhere. I might have even scolded myself for not having asked about his intentions sooner.

Now, my perspective has changed. It was indeed a great day. Even if we are looking for something different, it was a day well-spent.