I could smell your scent
Like a trip I never had
And every time it left
I wanted to go back
I’d stare into the sunshine
Like the sparkle in your eyes
And when the sunset came
I’d pray for the sunrise
But starlight had me staring
I wish I may, wish I might
Hearing waves, tasting salt
Swept up in you like the tide
You made me happy. You gave me hope and allowed me to build expectations. I became accustomed to having you in my life – accustomed to the effortless smiles you gave me. Then, like the bottles of cheap wine at the end of a girl’s night, you left me feeling empty and completely disposable. You walked away. You made it look easy – no hesitation, no looking back and not an ounce of remorse. Just like the mornings after those girls nights, I’m left wondering what happened; my head is pounding and I’m lying here wondering why the hell I put myself through this. Will I ever learn? Absofuckinglutely – and I hope you do, too.
To the men who found me easy to leave, there are ten things I hope you learn:
1. Honesty.
I didn’t keep anything from you. I shared details of my past – details of my successes and failures. I told you my goals and dreams. I was honest with you about who I was, who I am and who I want to be. You said you were doing the same. You claimed to be honest with me about your intentions and you said you cared. You lied.
2. Courtesy.
I wonder when you realized you didn’t want to be with me. I wonder what happened to make you give up. You left me wondering a lot of things, like why you couldn’t give me reasons – why you couldn’t show me the courtesy of goodbye.
3. Value.
I’m a catch. I’m not saying that to try and convince you and I’m not saying it to make myself feel better. I’m saying it because it’s the truth. I’m strong, successful, smart, independent and genuine. I love with all of my heart – even after it’s been broken, which makes me worthy of love. A love you didn’t deserve – a love you wouldn’t have ever fully appreciated because you didn’t realize its value.
4. Strength.
I thought things were different with us. I felt I was finally at a place in my life where the timing was right. We were going slow, building a friendship and being honest – I was finally doing things right. I was wrong. You’re a coward for allowing me to feel these feelings for you and not having any intentions of feeling them back. I’m a strong woman who wants to stand beside a strong man; you’re weak.
5. Pride.
You knew what I went through. You knew what other men had done to me and how they hurt me – you knew and you did the exact same. Shame on you for that. I hope you’re proud of yourself. You wanted to be a part of my life, I just didn’t know you wanted to be another painful memory.
6. Victory.
Did being with me build your confidence? Because it destroyed mine, you woke all my insecurities. All the initial effort you put into convincing me I was important to you – was it all a game? Did you do it just to see if you could win? Congratulations – victory is yours! I lost my confidence and you won this ‘game’.
7. Sympathy.
I feel sorry for you. You won’t meet a woman who’s so easy-going and understanding; a woman who wants you, makes you feel needed and listens to you – genuinely listens. I’m not a dime a dozen, I’m rare. When you realize this, it will be too late. I feel sorry for you.
8. Forgiveness.
You’re forgiven. Not because you deserve it, but because I do. I’ve held on to the pain you caused, I’ve held on to the times we shared – those times I can’t seem to forget but you can’t seem to remember. Holding on has only held me back. I forgive you because I deserve to let go of the idea of what could have been. I forgive you for finding me forgettable.
9. Gratitude.
Not that you deserve it, but thank you. I thank you for allowing me the opportunity and availability to meet someone who isn’t such a coward, someone who’s man enough to love me the way I deserve. Someone who appreciates my loyalty and is grateful to be with a woman as genuine as I am.
10. Love.
Even though you hurt me, I still wish you the best. I hope love finds you. I hope it’s the type of love that makes you reflect on the love I gave you so freely – without hesitation or reciprocation – and I hope it makes you appreciate her even more. I hope she makes you feel valued, I hope she sympathizes with you when you’re hurting and I hope she feels lucky to be with you.
If someone leaves you, I hope they’re courteous and honest enough to tell you why. I hope they don’t leave you feeling insecure, disposable and as worthless as you made me feel. I hope no one ever makes you feel like you’re easy to leave.
Dating, my least favorite word in the history of words ever, of all time. I hate it more than ‘moist’, ‘crusty’, ‘crevice’, ‘splurge’ and ‘gooey’. No need to question the gulps of hatorade I’m chugging in order to choke down the feelings I have on dating – I’ve earned my right to hate. After seven years of all kinds of dating: online dating, blind dates, casual dating, bar-scene-dating, the ‘my friend has a friend whose cousin is single and nice’ dating, the ‘he’s not my type but I’ll give it a try’ dating, etc. – the list is never ending. I’ve realized after all these years, it really wasn’t them – it was me.
I don’t deserve to date. Here’s why:
1. I’m Honest.
If you ask me a question, I’ll give you an answer – an honest answer. I won’t lie – I won’t toy with you or answer pretending to be the chick I think you might want me to be, and I definitely won’t sugar coat it. I will be straight up, to the point and answer with nothing but the truth. I don’t care if you ask me how I like my eggs, what my biggest fear is or where the craziest place I’ve had sex was (omg don’t act so shocked – seven years of dating, of course I’m going to have at least one crazy story).
Honesty has no place in dating today. You’ve got to play the game; if he asks you out, tell him you’re busy (even when you’re completely, not even watching Netflix, available). If she texts you first – wait an hour to respond. Oh and don’t forget – be super vague and short with your response. Appear uninterested unless she’s uninterested, then you need to get her interested again to be able to show her how uninterested in her you are! (Yes, that’s a play off of the classic ‘Wedding Crashers’ scene). Apparently, it’s all about the chase – and honesty doesn’t need chasing. Honesty needs understanding and attention; two things that do not fit, and aren’t freely given, in today’s standards of dating.
2. I’m Loyal.
If I make plans with you or say I’m available on a specific day, I’ll keep those plans and/or that date available for you. If we talk about ‘getting together sometime’ or ‘meeting up’, you bet your sweet ass I’m going to actually assume we are meeting up. And wait – hold on to your seat for this one – if I’m ‘dating’ you, I’m actually only DATING you.
That’s right everyone – I’m loyal! I don’t have the time, energy or desire to try and ‘play the field’. It’s an extremely rare occurrence for me to find someone I’m actually interested in. So when I do find someone that piques my interest, someone who is worth taking the time to get to know and ‘date’, I like to focus on that one person and actually be honest with them about who I am and what I’m interested in. Honesty – please see #1, second paragraph.
3. I’m Genuine
Here’s a crazy thought (that might actually make sense if you fully read through points #1 & #2), I mean what I say, I say what I mean and I freaking care. Do I care too much sometimes for people who don’t deserve it? Absolutely. Us genuine people tend to do that. But here’s also a remarkable thought – being genuine means you care about the well being of another person. You want the best for that person. You want to help that person become the best version of themselves. You care about that person. Being genuine is a bitch.
When dating today, being genuine is misconstrued as being ‘too into’ someone. Being genuine might be taken as ‘clingy’ or ‘being a hopeless romantic with unrealistic standards’. When they’re having a bad day, you want to comfort them and want to understand what’s going wrong; you actually CARE when you ask. If they’re hungry or having an urge to do something fun – like, I don’t know, maybe get outside, enjoy the weather – you might genuinely care enough to pack a picnic basket and take them on a hiking adventure in the park. Whoa, hopeless romantic?!? NOPE – just a normal person who genuinely cares. And guess who doesn’t have time for that? Any form of dating in 2016.
4. I’m Old Fashioned
Now, now – I know what you’re thinking, “How can you be old fashioned if you’re talking about ‘craziest places you’ve had sex’ in point #1?” I’m not talking old fashioned like he picks me up at my parents house and I make him help my mom churn butter before dinner while my dad loads his shotgun and sharpens the shovel. I’m talking about old fashioned as in he picks me up at my house, knocks on the door (fuck the horn honk or the ‘here’ text message), and asks me if I’m ready to go to dinner. Then, another crazy thought, we sit through an entire meal (not apps and drinks) and just talk. We talk about who we are, what we like (not sexually), and then – HOLD ON TO YOUR SEATS AGAIN FOLKS – he takes me home and doesn’t try to get inside my place (or my pants).
Old fashioned doesn’t work when dating today. Most ‘getting to know one another’ conversations aren’t conversations at all. Someone’s snapping the other person and tagging them in funny memes on Instagram, while the other person is meticulously continuing their left-swipe-affair with Tinder. All the while, these two people are just wasting their time and finding absolutely nothing out about one another. Sure, he’s most likely sent her a dick pic in the first days’ text exchange (why by the way, why?!?! Please sweet baby cheeses, can we please stop this disgusting habit?!), but personally, I’d like to know the color of your eyes and maybe your middle name before I know how many inches long you are at a completely-not-shown-to-scale picture of you at your ‘happiest’.
5. I’m Selfish & Confident(ish)
Here’s the big one, my ‘ah-ha!’ factor to why I do not deserve to date. I’m selfish and (most of the time) confident-ish. I’ll explain the aforementioned ‘ish’ in a moment. I’m selfish, so selfish, that I’ll want you to myself. I will want to be the reason you look down at your phone and smile. I’ll want to be someone you look forward to spending time with. I’ll, SO SELFISHLY, want to be the only person you’re dating because then I’ll know (and have no reason to overthink or second guess) we are both putting equal amounts of effort into this all-too-difficult-for-no-reason-dating-thing we are doing. Why? Because we are both so ridiculous that we will actually want to genuinely, loyally and honestly get to know one another. I’m so selfish that I’ll want to put some of my daily focus into making you happy – I’ll want to be the reason your bad days are better. I’ll selfishly want to share all the good things and bad things that might have happened in my day with you, too. And, selfishly, I’ll want to call you mine because you’re amazing, smart, cute and funny; and here I am – all of that and more – and I’ll actually want YOU to call ME yours, too!
I’m selfish & confident-ish. I say ‘ish’ because, after seven years of torture – I mean dating, I’ve finally realized what I do and do not deserve. I can honestly, with the upmost confidence, say I do NOT deserve to date!! I don’t deserve to have to lie to someone and trick them into dating me. I don’t deserve to have to pretend to be busy or pretend to be seeing other people only to try and make you jealous and chase after me to win my affection. I don’t deserve to go on dates, spend my precious time getting to know you – and allow you to get to know me – if you have no intentions of being loyal. I do not deserve to allow you to sleep with me and have all the benefits of a relationship when we are just ‘dating’.
I don’t deserve to date because I’m old fashioned and, to me, dating someone means you are trying with them – with only them – to see if the two of you could be compatible; two people who might actually laugh together, create memories together, sleep together and – eventually – fully commit to a relationship because things are going so well! Oh, what’s that? A friendship developed, too?!? THAT’S INSANE! Why the hell would you want to be in a relationship with someone that makes you smile, understands you, brings out the best in you and is one of your friends?!? Of course you should just keep ‘dating’ so they have the opportunity AND availability to potentially meet someone else.
I’m honest, genuine, loyal, old fashioned and – above all else – I’m selfish. And because of these things, I just don’t deserve to date.
– Danyle L. M. (9/8/2016)
There are a million thoughts that go through my head each day. Lately they’ve all been the same; do I cross your mind? Are you thinking of me? Have you wondered what could happen if we tried to make this work? Is there a missing space in your life because I haven’t been in it?
Maybe I’m a dreamer but I’m not the only one; I want to be somebody’s someone. I want that person to think (and know) – without me having to prove it to them or talk them into thinking it – I’m worth the distance, the time, the effort and the patience it’s going to take to be with me. And guess what? I’ll think – and know – they’re worth it, too. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be putting in any effort.
I meet a guy, we start to date and I’ll get lost in the idea of ‘us’. Overthinking, over analyzing, and over-dreaming every scenario that you can imagine. It’s sad really – but it’s also romantic. Why can’t I have an adventure – a fairytale? With you I was realistic – cynical actually. I didn’t become obsessed or infatuated with you. I didn’t fall in love – but I wanted to. I did something worse actually, I let you become one of my best friends. And now I’m losing that friendship and it’s hurting me.
I know you say it’s not me – I don’t know if I believe you. I can’t tell if you’re being too nice to get this over with or if you really mean it when you say how wonderful you think I am. I do know that you’re not choosing me. I do know that you’re letting me go. Whisk me off of my feet! I know you have it in you. You won me over by being open and honest from the start. You won me over by making me feel beautiful; not just physically but in mind. You were one of the first men to actually care – and admire – my writing. You listened to me, you let me trust you, you let me give you precious parts of my time; at a time in my life when I was making myself the happiest I’ve ever been. You became a part of that happiness – and I don’t want to lose that.
You could ask me to walk down this healing path with you. You could say I’m enough and you don’t want to be without me either. You could tell me to keep moving slow with you so, at the end of the healing process, I’m the one who gets to be with you. We could still make plans – spend time together – nothing has to change. You just have to tell me when you need space. You have to try and let me in. You have to want me.
But you don’t – you won’t. Thinking, even for a second, you would fight for me was that hopeless romantic part of my imagination that I had thought was shut off before I met you.
Maybe you’re right, maybe I’m addicted to the idea of love. Maybe this has been one sided and I’ve built this into something it isn’t – it’s all in my head. Sure, you’ve enjoyed getting to know me. But I think you know if you wanted to be with me, even a little bit, you would be. You aren’t damaged – you’re broken – and since I’m the master at being broken I can tell you that you’re fixable. You’re worth the walk down the path of healing. But so am I. Did you realize that I’m broken, too? Did you stop and think maybe I’m fighting so hard for this because I’m fighting for us to save each other – I’m fighting for myself, too?
Life isn’t a fairytale – life isn’t a romantic comedy. When you walk away you stay gone – you don’t show up on my doorstep with flowers a month later and tell me you missed me and don’t want me to be with anyone else. You don’t ask me to spend romantic weekends with you or take me on sporadic adventures. You won’t do the little things – the things that become the big things – like make me a priority in a world filled with other options.
No, I’m not the girl who gets the fairytale. I’m not the woman who men fall in love with – I’m not the woman men choose. I’m the background music. I’m the reality. I’m the unhappily ever after. I’m the woman who ends up alone at the end of the night watching Netflix and drinking wine while wishing a man, wishing you, would love me as much as my dogs do. I’m the woman who jokes with friends about having a house on a hill somewhere filled with Yorkies.
I’m the over thinker, the ‘fixer’, the relationship overachiever – the old fashioned, hopeless romantic who wishes they could turn off their feelings. I’m the new generation of women. And I hate it. For decades women have fought so hard to teach the generations after them not to need a man – to be more than just the ‘other half’. Yet here I am, wanting to be the girl who gets the guy – wanting you to pick me, choose me – love me. Being loved – that’s success to me – I’ve always wanted love more than anything else. Yet I feel unlovable. What’s the point of everything else in life if you don’t have someone to share it with? Somebody’s someone – that’s who I want to be – not just anyone’s anybody.
– Danyle L. M. (9/13/16)
What you give is what you’ll receive – maybe not right away, but someday.
Someday someone will come into your life and make all of your insecurities disappear; they’ll challenge you, listen to you – they’ll have the desire to grow with you. They’ll not only help you find who you used to be before your heart was broken, but they’ll help you grow into the person you were meant to be – with a healed and happy heart. They’ll love you with a heart so full that yours will have no choice but to fill up again. The biggest challenge is opening up your heart – just a little – just enough to let them in.
Your heart’s like a tank of gas; you don’t risk driving around on empty. Fill it – you just have to pull into the station. You can only run on empty for so long before you completely break down. You might not realize it now, but the particular station you’re driving past – that person who loves with their whole heart – they’re a rare find; it will take hundreds of miles to find another one with a fraction of the quality compared to the one right in front of you.
– Danyle L. M. (8/29/2016)
photo credit – wordables (Pinterest)
The Dalema 