So James and I parted on good terms, a date booked in our calendars and ready to take up our regular lives for the next two weeks until my kids were next at their dad's house. But, funny thing about that: after I left Starbucks I found I had a really hard time not thinking about him. A lot. Of … [Read more...]
Love is Blind: Part 2
Last time...I turn, ready to assert my territorial rights, and burst out laughing. There before me, fighting for the good seat, is my date, pink shirt and all. Of course I recognize him! And a split second later, he realizes it's me, too. "Claire?" He asks. I nod, and we shake hands. He then … [Read more...]
Love is Blind: Part 1
Okay, so last time I told you about the blind date my friend Grace wanted to set me up on. I told you how nervous I was to go, and in the end I decided this:Maybe it's a bit like pulling off a bandage or jumping into cold lake water: you just have to gird your loins, grit your teeth and get it over … [Read more...]
Amazing Grace
So my friend Grace wants to set me up on a blind date. I can't help but be reminded of the iconic lyrics, "I once was blind, but now I see" from the song Amazing Grace. Odd, no? That it would be Grace to set me up on a blind date? Or am I just focusing on minutiae and trivial coincidences so … [Read more...]
Scared Sexless
I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm not the first in my group of friends to get divorced. In fact, out of a really close-knit group of four girlfriends, three of us have split from our husbands. That is higher than the national average, but not really all that unusual. We each ended up single … [Read more...]
Finding My Perfect Match
It was the day my divorce was finalized. I left the lawyer's office and I felt conflicting emotions. On the one hand, this was what I wanted, what I needed. I felt -- not happy -- more like; oh, how can I say it: contentedly relieved? I knew it was the right thing to do, and it represented the last … [Read more...]
The Dating Game
Because it is a game, isn't it? And a damn scary one, at that: well, scary for a forty-something to get back into after over a decade in a failing marriage. But it's my story, my adventure, my journey; and I'm going to share it with you. First, a word about my marriage: from the beginning, I … [Read more...]