Guess who has fallen....and doesn't want to get up?

That is right.  It is me.

So, for the past month, I have bravely endured the taunts, the teases, the jibes, the raised brows, the unsolicited advice, the chortles, the rolled eyes, and the shaking heads as friends have discovered that I have had the audacity to fall in love. Again.

I have had the sense to minimize any explanations or any defense.

From the years 2005 through 2011, I had earned (rightfully so, in many respects) the dubious title of "Pickiest Rhymes-with-Witch" out of our gaggle of girlfriends.  My list of "Automatic Disqualifiers" was long, detailed, and immutable. It was fairly epic....causing some women to invite me to speak to their younger sisters and teen daughters, sharing the carefully culled lists and the reasoning behind each item.

Then, the mighty fell as I was taken in by a smooth criminal. A brilliant con artist that took special delight in deceiving someone so careful, in tricking someone with such a wall built up to protect her strong-on-outward-appearance-yet-so-delicate-inside heart. He must have had a such a sense of achievement to knock this one over (I was about 6th in the line. Oh well - glad I figured it out quickly and escaped unscathed.)

And so began the post-mortem of friends and family, trying to figure out how it had happened. What was wrong with me? How had I let this happen? I was the strong one that they came to when trying to decide whether or not to go on a second date! If it could happen to me.......to whom else could it happen? I must have acted too fast. Long distance doesn't let you get to know someone really well. We should have lived together/been engaged longer/not lived together.

What can I say? It happened. I figured it out. I went through the heartbreak of realizing that I had made a life decision based on not just one lie...but so many. I had to let go of the dream that I had held so dear of finding the one, my partner, the one who would sing to me, the one that would make my heart sing. I got over it.

What am I going to do? Cry everyday? Most assuredly, I would not. I was not put on this earth to live in a continual rehashing of disappointment, sorrow, and negativity. I did not earn the nickname "the Weeble" by wallowing in misery for any length of time.

My family was sad. My Mom proclaimed that I was "not allowed to talk to boys". My sister said that I was not allowed to ever get married again. My brother said that he had known me my entire life, and that I am pretty happy when I am alone (he has a point there - I am happy nearly everyday above ground. I guess I am just lucky that way).  It was pretty nice to see how many people loved me and wanted to protect me from hurt and pain. (I guess I am just lucky that way too.)

The bottom line for me is that I decided that the last relationship was a casting error.  The role - the male lead role in my life - was still a great role that needed to be filled! The flaw was not with my desire and my dream - the flaw was in the character hired for the job.  I woke up in September ready to beginning scouting again.

I did take some time. I didn't even make my match.com profile until the beginning of October. Even then, I did not pay for a membership until Halloween. Then, I woke up and decided it was time to subscribe, reach out, and see who might be looking for a life like the one I was looking to create. I signed up for 6 months...I don't think that I expected to meet someone life-altering that week, or even that very day.

What is that saying about when people make plans,God laughs? That day, in one of the first five profiles I reviewed, I saw a tall, cute, science fiction loving, age appropriate (if he wasn't fibbing), local, employed, articulate, 80's music adoring, Irish & American man with an additional picture wearing a kilt. Let's just say for a moment, I thought I was daydreaming, and that I had conjured up a perfect profile of a man. I thought maybe I was having some sort of hallucination brought on by so many years of searching and waiting. From what I recollect, I sent a one-line email that simply said, "How can I resist a man in a kilt?" and the conversation began.

In that moment.

And the past few months have been intoxicating, unnerving, delightful, suspenseful, tense, humorous, fun, adventurous, and amazing. He is intelligent, charming, gracious, chivalrous, nerdy, creative, funny, attentive, social, generous, friendly, honest, adventurous, unique, human, nostalgic, futuristic, confident, and mesmerizing. My cheeks are sore from smiling. I have fallen - and I do not want to get up.

SO....after being designated as the "Pickiest Rhymes-With-Witch" for so many years.....now I am being told that I fall in love too fast! There are assertions being made that I must just love the feeling of falling in love (on a side note - who doesn't?) That I am like a silly schoolgirl that moves too fast.

It has struck me that as a culture, we are awfully difficult to please.  When someone is single, people will say they should open themselves up to finding love. They should go out more, go online, meet their chiropractor, use a matchmaker, crash weddings, wear lower cut blouses, wear less revealing clothes, dress up, dress down, linger in the vegetable department, take sushi making classes, hike/bike/trike, and wander the aisles of Home Depot asking for help from attractive, ringless shoppers. Hhmm. All great ideas.  What if I just want to stay home in yoga pants watching "Hoarder" marathons?

When we are with someone, people say be careful, don't move too fast, it's moving too slow, run a background check, keep your options open, you should be exclusive by now, don't call too much, don't be too available, don't play too hard to get, don't text first, they should meet you friends, it is too soon to meet your friends, have you travelled together yet? Is this a rebound? Is this serious? Is this just a phase? All great suggestions and questions. What if I just want to date this person and see what happens?

Yes, you might get hurt. And yet, doesn't it hurt to spend another holiday alone? There are pros and cons to each situation.

Here is what I have learned. There is no perfect recipe card for a successful relationship in regards to time. I know a real couple that married each other a month after they met and they have been together happily for over twenty years. I know a couple that was together for 11 years, then they married and divorced within a year. Bitterly. I know people that have "sworn off" dating for a certain period of time after a break up, and they still had their heart's broken again with the next relationship. I know a couple that knew each other as friends for over six years without ever giving each other a second thought romantically until one year on the 4th of July when they saw each other in a whole new light under the fireworks. They are married with a baby now. There is just no rhyme or reason to dictate how or when we might meet the special person with whom we could build a future.

To quote John Hughes in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', "Yep. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it."

Jumping in with both feet....