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To Date Or Not To Date

  • Post starter Post starter p-no
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p-no

That is the question... Actually, it's not a question, I'm just confused and am stuck.

The story in short -- saying all this fully aware that we've only been in touch for a bit over a week.

I signed up on a webpage for people with disabilities. Was contacted by a man and we've been writing back and forth since. He's visually impaired, almost blind. I am saying this because I wonder if that has to do with him having a very good radar re another person, me, with regard to boundaries, emotional connection, self and other, etc.

He seems self-confident, does not change as a person. He seems to know well who he is, what he wants (literally and generally speaking), what he can and can not do. He expresses that too. He can express what he thinks and feels, and he does that in a very respectful way, being respectful of himself (!), me, and others. He can talk about his disability, seems fully to terms with it (this, for me, includes e.g. expressing he is sad that he can't do this or that, which he did).

He has a great (and black) sense of humor! I love this! He's independent, will live his life, go swimming, spend time with friends a lot, will accept help from neighbors and is able to talk about all this. Likes sharing. What strikes me (as I have not much experience with men, and people in general, who are like this) is that he "moves about in the shades of grey" (no pun intended, lol), he has not yet overstepped any boundaries, often evaluates himself there and will express so.

He is fun to exchange messages with. We'll be talking on the phone on the weekend. He wants to date me.

What's the problem then, you ask? Well, I don't know!!! But I'm confused. And I feel feelings coming up! I guess this has already started to be "something" for me so the possibility of losing this really enjoyable, nice, sort-of unreal (I am so not used to such a peacefulness with any person) whatever-it-is scares me. I am aware that in my head I have moved into the future to something that is not.

I just don't know if I want to risk it. If risking becoming (more) vulnerable is worth it. Yes, there could be some nice time in this, but would I be able to deal with it being over, if it were? To me, that's a valid question to ask and it's important in a way, or feels important, to move into the future to find possible answers to this question.

At age 3, I lost my grandmother, who was, officially, before the law, my "mother" (my own mother had been too young to have the rights). I grew up with her and remember her (one memory) as loving and caring. Then I was taken away by my real mother, to more hell. At six, my great-grandmother died, who is the only person I truly truly loved. I missed her and cried for her until I was in my twenties. I lost lots of "dads" because of the way my mother lived her life. As soon as I had accepted one, they were gone. I lost friends who died (I miss you, BLT, so much) and I can't stand losing any more. Is it valid to be posing that question to myself? There probably is no other way than to risk it or not.

Anyone have any input? Just want to be a bit less confused so that I can make a decision that is good for me and what I really want.

Thanks for reading.

p-no
 
The only one who knows when you are ready to date is you. Personally, the fact that you met him online is a red flag for me, but that is my own personal fear talking. I got worried just giving Anthony my address to send the book I won, lol.

But, as I said, only you know when you are ready to date and if he is the right person. My advice, if you do pursuit this, is to take things very slowly and really get to know him, make sure this is the best thing for you.
 
Is the question whether or not to date right NOW or ever? I'm confused on this bit as you discuss your family.

If you're afraid of getting hurt, then lock your heart away and go live life in the middle of nowhere as a hermit.

The plain truth is that EVERY relationship comes with an element of risk. But if you cut people off at the pass, you'll be missing out on a great part of life.

And isn't part of healing stepping outside your comfort zone. If you isolate the rest of your life, you won't fully heal. The PTSD and your perpetrators will have won. And quite frankly, doesn't that suck?
 
I just know that people can behave quite differently online, than in person. But it doesn't mean it wouldn't work. My aunt and her husband met in a chat room. I've heard it happen a lot. They are not together anymore, but were really happy for many years, so I don't think it is because of how they met.
 
Grateful for all your responses, thanks very much. I'll write some more on this later.

Right now I'd just like to say that sadness totally hit me. It's been going around in my head what "almost blind" means. I mean, of course I realized that before, but yesterday afternoon, I went for table tennis with colleagues. We wanted to go for only thirty minutes but all of a sudden it was one and a half hours later. It was SO much fun!!! I so enjoyed it!!! I love table tennis and at one stage I thought: You can't play table tennis with X. Already felt some sadness then. Then I thought about what else I really like doing and came up with riding my bike (especially with a partner, because you're together but "free") and skiing. Needless to say more...

There are things I like he can do. But it's important to me what it feels like that there are things I like he can not do.

Well, I had told him I really, really liked going on (touristic) boat tours in our city. Don't care about the "touristic", but about the breeze in my face, the trees in the breeze, watching the little waves and cruising... He picked that up and said we could do that when meeting up the first time. I am not saying (at all) that he would not enjoy a ride on the boat (maybe for the same reasons (without the watching the waves of course)), but he could not share in the watching the surroundings, the beautiful bridges, wheeping willows and other things I love. I so love butterflies.

It's not highly dramatic. But it's little goodbyes and I'm sad.
 
piratelady, I, too, have made bad experiences with men online. Luckily those experiences were online only as well. Usually, my "problem", if you will call it that, is not being slow but a bit faster and more relaxed.

I have a question for you, and I am really being serious: What do you personally mean by "taking it slow"? I mean, what does it mean applied to real life (examples)? I have trouble understanding sayings like that the way they're meant, in the sense that I put my own definition in them from how I have lived and perceived my life, but they have turned out to be wrong often. So, could you explain a bit what you mean by that and how you actually do it? Thanks.
 
Is the question whether or not to date right NOW or ever? I'm confused on this bit as you discuss your family

It is NOW, not ever. When I wrote that part about losing people I loved I sort-of went back to those places in time when I lost those. And since it hurt, I think, generally it's worth a thought whether I want or even should take a risk again.

The plain truth is that EVERY relationship comes with an element of risk. But if you cut people off at the pass, you'll be missing out on a great part of life.

So many say that it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. I am not so sure. The pain for me does not go away, or only after many years (talking about decade/s). If you have not found a way to really make the pain go away for such a long time, I think it's really worth a thought or even one more to take that risk or not. It's not so much about the question "relationship: yes or no" but rather: "peace vs. at least challenge".

If you isolate the rest of your life, you won't fully heal. The PTSD and your perpetrators will have won. And quite frankly, doesn't that suck?

I am not isolating. I have friends, god sons, some "family". This is not about isolating, I think, but about changing my relationship status. And I don't think those people have won. After all, they're six feet under and I'm still here. :D
 
I just know that people can behave quite differently online, than in person. But it doesn't mean it wouldn't work.

Yup, for sure. It's good to see that black on white once more. Helpful reminder! Thanks.

You're echoing what my t says. The other day, last week, she said to me "not all men are perpetrators". I know (really know, not just in my mind), but it was good hearing her say it.

I sent my t an e-mail telling her I'd bring 25 pages (hard copy) of our e-mail correspondence (the man I've been in touch with). She said she'd read them and give me her impression. We have done this already twice within the last two months or so and each time her impressions echoed mine. I hope I'm not going wrong this time...

Thanks very much, everyone. :tup:
 
I have a question for you, and I am really being serious: What do you personally mean by "taking it slow"? I mean, what does it mean applied to real life (examples)?

What I mean is don't cannonball into the dating pool, so to speak. Whether it be this man or someone else, take your time getting to know them, don't get serious too quickly. Does that help to explain?
 
No, not really, I guess. What I mean is, how the heck do you keep your feelings in a healthy balance while getting to know someone? Thanks for trying to help me with this, piratelady.
 
Oooohh! That's what you're asking! LOL I'm sorry, I think I'm still half asleep.

In my opinion - you feel what you feel...but you can still take your time to get to know them some more before getting overly involved. I'm not trying to thread-hijack, but I will use my ex-husbands and my relationship as an example:

We met and within weeks I was spending the entire weekend at his house and most evenings after work. When I wasn't with him, he was calling me all the time. I had strong feelings for him very quickly. Feelings or not, that didn't mean that I needed to be with him constantly. We were never apart. Then we moved in together, then married. I did not have that time apart to just think about what was going on, think about my feelings, or to relax.

In hindsight, I should have had more time apart from him in the beginning, despite my feelings. My thinking, and this could just be my fear talking, is that it is healthy to spend time away from a person, no matter how strongly you feel for them. This is especially true as you are getting to know them. It takes time to really ge to know someone and see if you are compatible. Just make sure you are not getting sucked into the relationship too fast, and that you've had time to get to know the person and really assess your feelings and the relationship.

I hope that makes more sense. I'm finding this difficult to explain. I wish I could just hook up some sort of telepathic up-link and you could download what I'm trying to say, lol.
 
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