I figure if I'm going to ask you to put your faith in my advice, you deserve to know at least a little bit about me.
As mentioned in Part I, I'm a guy. I'm in my late-20s and live on the East Coast of the United States. For almost two years, I've been very happily married to a woman who is both well out of my league and makes me ridiculously happy.
There are some people for whom navigating the world of dating and relationships is a natural and easy thing to do. I wasn't one of those people. While it's true that I had my first girlfriend at age three - a blossoming summer camp romance that would inspire a Nicholas Sparks novel - it's also true that it took a good 14 years before my next one. My first relationship that lasted more than a month wasn't until college, and the first girlfriend I had for more than six months turned into my wife. I dated a decent amount during and after college, but rarely pursued serious relationships if I didn't think there was a potential future. As my grandfather pointed out to much laughter and head-nodding on our wedding day: I had a lot of girlfriends growing up - and I married every one of them. It's fair to say he wasn't too far off the mark.
What I may have lacked in firsthand experience - I was the kind of kid who played cards with Mom and Dad on Friday nights instead of going out - I made up for in thinking and observing. Luckily, I had good examples close to home. My parents are high school sweethearts who are approaching 40 years of marriage. My two older siblings got married years before I did, so I was able to watch and learn from their example - as the youngest in the family, I guess I was always used to following in someone else's footsteps. It took me a long time to find my own way, but I'm convinced the tough years spent waiting and looking and trying were worth it in the end.
I suppose my views on all things dating and relationships will come out as we go, but my general philosophy can be summed up in a single sentence: when you find the one you love, and the feeling is reciprocated, there's no better feeling in the world.
I'm extraordinarily lucky that I get to experience this feeling every day, and it's my hope that all of you will be able to as well. If I can help even one person get there, I'll consider this a smashing success.
In Part III, I'll let you know how to contact me directly so we can get started!
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