Meeting People

In this day and age, it has become commonplace to meet people online, get to know them, and then meet them in "real" life. Gone are the days when guys and gals were forced to dress up and go out to bars and clubs to meet someone of the opposite sex. No more do we have to look at someone all night and not be able to muster the courage to talk to them, only to realize that the opportunity is lost. There is no more anxiety over wondering if you acted the fool while inebriated when you met someone for the first time. The internet also widens your dating pool. You're no longer limited to the same people you see all of the time. Now there are options. Technology has evolved and we have evolved with it.

But meeting people in this new way presents it's own challenges, not the least of which is that some people online are PSYCHO. Everyone has had the experience of meeting someone and realizing that the pictures you saw were about four years and 100 pounds ago. There are plenty of true horror stories out there that I won't even get into. Caution is certainly in order.

However, not all is lost! For every horror story, then are plenty of good stories. I met my husband online. A friend of mine met her long-time live-in boyfriend online. I've personally heard several other true stories of people meeting online and developing a serious relationship. Personally, I love the fact that I met my husband online. We were able to chat and get to know each other before we met in person. While we were attracted to each other and the pictures we sent each other, it helped us to develop an attraction on a deeper level first. We lived several hundred miles apart, and we never would have met had we not chatted online.

Meeting someone in person who you've only met online is certainly a different experience. Odds are, you already know a fair amount about that person. You've already connected, so it eliminates the awkward moments of what you should say or how you should say it and worrying if you're offending the other person. While it can still be nerve-racking, I think it's preferred.

The moral of my post? Love the internet. Embrace it. Meet people online. Chat with them. Talk on the phone. Meet in person (in public places). You never know who you will meet.