Is There Really Someone for Everyone?

Something that keeps many single people hopeful is the belief that there’s someone in the world for everyone.  This may or may not be true depending on the type of person you’re looking for and what you want to have with this person. So, in actuality, it’s this part that decides if there’s a match for everyone in the world that wants one. It all comes down to what you want to have with another person.

The easiest of all connections is the one night stand. Just about any decent looking person can score one of these. Usually, these happen just because a person has an itch that needs to be scratched. You get all dressed up and hit some of the more crowded and popular “meet markets.” That’s where you’ll find other people just like you that are looking for those few minutes or few hours of physical intimacy with someone else. This is pretty simple to make happen. The downside of it is that for many people it turns out to be less than fulfilling. In fact, it can actually only make that emptiness inside of you that much more lonely. For others, though, it does the trick until the next time the itch starts.

The next type of connection that may be the simplest to achieve is the person for dating and casual sex. This one is better than the one night stand but doesn’t require a commitment from either party. These are two people that like a lot of the same things and are attracted to each other sexually. While this may sound a lot like the beginning of a real relationship, it can actually be the result of a good friendship. This is all some people require to be happy.

Then, there’s the relationship where a couple are in love and live together with no intentions of getting married. These couples can be either monogamous or have an open style relationship. This type of relationship is becoming more popular in recent times for many reasons.

Then, there’s the traditional relationship where a couple is in love with each other and choose to follow the approach of actually getting married. This relationship is a lot more difficult to have than the other ones because it’s much more serious. In a marriage, two people are committing to each other and making some pretty strong promises to each other in the process. They’re promising not to be with anyone else and to stay together in good times and bad times until death parts them. This is the ultimate goal of many single people and is the hardest to attain, yet it CAN be done.

One last type of relationship, and not too common, is the trial relationship. A ceremony is conducted that binds a couple together for a certain time period, usually one year. If, at the end of that time, they want to enter into a traditional marriage, that’s what will happen. If they’ve decided it’s not what they wanted, they can part ways peacefully.

So, all in all, there just may be someone for everyone in the world. It just comes down to what you’re looking for.

To Rekindle an Old Flame or Not

Some of the hottest and most passionate relationships usually take place between couples of teenage years. Nothing is more lustful than two teenagers in love. It also hurts the most when it ends. Many times, if the ending happens for reasons other than the couple is just tired of each other and ready to move on, the love becomes unrequited. Even though these two individuals may move forward in life and even go on to marry other people, they never forget their first love. This love is something that may never leave them no matter how far they travel.

That’s why it’s very tempting to rekindle an old flame if the opportunity presents itself. You’ve probably heard many tales of how couples that have been separated for years suddenly find themselves back together and realize they still have the same feelings for each other as they did when they were a couple the first time around. Those are very possible and very heartwarming stories. However, it doesn’t always turn out that way. Many times, it’s just the fervent wish to revisit a time in life where the feelings were exciting and the couple was beautiful.

There has to be a better way to tell if you should rekindle an old flame or not, and there IS. First of all, put away your feelings from long ago. Then be very honest about how your NEW feelings are at seeing your old love from so long ago. This step is true whether it’s been 3 years or 30.  You can’t allow those past feelings to completely rule decisions you make in the present. So Rule Number One is to deal with your feelings in the present and don’t be overly influenced by the past.

Now that you understand Rule Number One, it’s going to be confusing to learn what Rule Number Two is because that rule tells you to remember the moments of your past relationship with your old flame. Some of those moments can be very important, particularly if these are warnings of why you shouldn’t become involved with him again. Were you mistreated by this old flame in the past? Did he cheat on you? Did he abuse you in some way? If that’s the case, it’s very important to recall those moments because chances are slim that he’s changed much over the years in that regard.

Once you get past Rule Number One and Rule Number Two satisfactorily, you move into Rule Number Three. That one has you paying close attention to how you feel when you come face to face with your old flame. Is that spark truly still there for both of you? If so, and the conditions are right, then you should definitely test the waters a bit and see how they feel. That doesn’t mean that you should hop into bed with him immediately. It means that you should be open to exploring whether or not things can actually go somewhere this time around. It may be the best decision you ever made.

The Worst Times to Break Up with Someone

Typically, you can tell when you’re in a relationship that’s really going nowhere, and you can feel when you’re ready to end that relationship. While it’s always good to know where you stand, it’s also wise to realize when the time of the break up is not right. Obviously, breaking up is never going to be easy, but you can make it even worse by choosing the wrong time to end a relationship.

For instance, birthdays are TERRIBLE times to break up with someone. So if you know that you’re going to end a relationship, please do so well BEFORE his birthday or well AFTER it. If you choose the day before, of, or the day after his birthday to break up, it will always leave a bad feeling with him. Every birthday is going to remind him that his relationship ended at that time. So, if you can manage it, time the break up so that it’s a decent amount of time on either side of his birthday and never, ever make it on the birthday itself.

Another awful break up day is Valentine’s Day. This is the day for lovers and couples to celebrate every year. If you decide to end your relationship on this day, you run the risk of ruining it for him for a very long time, if not forever. That’s why knowing when you’re ready to leave a relationship is a good thing as you can time the break up for a day that doesn’t mean anything to either of you.

Holidays should never be used to end a relationship for many reasons. Obviously, one of them is that this particular holiday may never be enjoyable again if the break up is pretty bad.  Another reason is that some people tend to buy expensive and extravagant gifts during the holidays. If you end your relationship prior to the holidays, you can save both you and your about to be ex-partner a lot of money because you most likely won’t be buying gifts for each other. In addition, the holidays just turn into very sad occasions when a relationship ends during them. This is true of the days immediately before and after them.

The basic rule of thumb is to get your break up out of the way as far ahead of any special day as possible. If you can’t do that, then you should try to grin and bear it through the special day and wait at least a couple of weeks afterward before making the big break. In this way, you’re saving someone a lot of misery that could follow him well into the future. You should be kind about the timing of your break up.

The exception to this rule is if your about to be ex is cheating on you and you just found out, or he’s done something even more horrendous. In cases such as those, he DESERVES to be miserable for future special days.

Should Co-Workers Date?

Working closely together five days a week can definitely cause some enviable heat to ignite between certain co-workers. Sometimes it’s a true chemistry that causes two people to be attracted to each other. It can also be due to loneliness at home, which can actually happen whether the person is single or married. In fact, many times marital problems are the root cause of office romances and affairs. Then, there are times when two people are drawn to each other and just happen to work at the same place.

To start with, the subject of affairs needs to be addressed because these are always very bad ideas, particularly between two married co-workers. Even worse is the idea of an affair between boss and staff member. These NEVER end well, and when they do, as they WILL, there will be at least one person out of a job. On occasion, both boss and staff member can be joining the ranks of the unemployed. If you’re that staff member and are flattered by the attentions of your boss, please keep things on a professional level, for your own good.

Married co-workers should never engage in anything romantic. They can be friends and enjoy each other’s company, but they should never take that fatal step of going over the line and falling into bed together. When the spouses find out, and never doubt that they will, things will begin to crumble for both of the people that were unfaithful. Actually, there are at least four people in that scenario that can be hurt.

Then, there are those couples that simply feel drawn to each other and probably would be attracted to each other no matter how they met. This connection isn’t necessarily a bad one, but it can be a tricky one. That’s because these couples may be in a budding relationship that shouldn’t be tested by the dangers of being together TOO much. What happens when the two of you have an argument? Something like that can easily have a huge effect on the quality of work that the two of you deliver at work while the argument lasts.

Something else to think about is the amount of time you’ll be spending with each other. If you just work for the same company, chances are good that you will be working in separate offices and will only see each other during breaks and at lunch. An arrangement like that doesn’t put as much stress on a relationship as working in the same office a desk or two apart from each other. Just working in the same building can actually enhance a romantic relationship. You can always meet at lunch for a sandwich and a quickie to really spice things up.

On the other hand, if you do work in the same office, it may be beneficial to the relationship for one of you to try to transfer to another office or department in the company. Some couples make a professional and personal relationship work out nicely. If you follow some common sense ground rules, it may work out that way for you, too.

Great Secret Places for Meeting Men

Single women are always on the hunt for great places to meet the best kind of men. There are the usual places, of course, but there are also others that are somewhat well-kept secrets. Following are some of those secret places to meet men:

• Conventions: This doesn’t mean your work conventions. These are FUN conventions such as Comic-Con or Star Trek. Many women have found men at these types of conventions to be very grateful and lavishing of attention. If you’re up for a change of pace in dating, try attending one of these and see what happens.
• Theme Night at bars: Trying to meet men at bars has been done to death. On the other hand, Bingo Night at the local bar is another thing altogether. Not only is Bingo fun to play, but there will be people from neighboring communities that will be there to take part in the challenge. You can find plenty of new men to flirt with at these events.
• Weddings: While this should be an obvious way to meet men, most of the women at weddings are focusing too hard on catching that elusive bouquet so they miss the great looking single men in attendance. If women would just go over and interrupt that huddle of men at the bar, there’s a great chance that they’ll find some handsome men that want to dance with them. Besides, you can bet that the bride has already pre-approved any men attending her wedding.
• Recovery programs: All over the country people gather at weekly meetings to help them with various addictions. In these meetings, some couples connect on a deeper level and turn that connection into something much more. Don’t assume that recovering addicts are always bad for each other.
• Jogging or Running: A method that rarely fails to work is also one that gets your body healthier. When you’re performing warm-ups or waiting for the light to change, there are always a few male joggers also warming up or waiting. Don’t blow your chance when you get it to chat up a great looking man that’s also jogging.
• Move to Alaska: If you’re a single woman seeking a single man, consider relocating to Alaska. This state is apparently a gold mine of single men. You may not even have to completely MOVE there. If you’ve got a week or two of vacation that you can use to visit Alaska; that may be all you’ll need to meet the man of your dreams.

Any or all of these places can be excellent when it comes to meeting available men, if for no other reason than that the majority of women haven’t discovered them yet. The odds will also probably be in your favor because some of these places have many more men than women. If moving to or visiting Alaska is out of your realm of feasibility, start with some of the simpler places. On a final note, you should keep in mind that anytime you visit somewhere new, you’ve got an increased chance of meeting that man for you.

Climbing Out of the Relationship Rut

One of the most damaging things when it comes to a relationship is when it’s allowed to sink into a rut. Nothing kills passion and interest faster than a boring routine. It doesn’t have to be the Kiss of Death, though, if you realize quickly enough what’s happening, and start taking steps to liven things up a bit. Following are some danger signs to watch for:

• Having the same date night all the time: This may have been something you started as a couple when you were both so busy that you actually had to pencil in time together. However, having your date night on the same day of the week all the time takes a little zing out of it all. Be a bit more spontaneous.
• You’re always fighting over something: Try being complimentary sometimes instead of nitpicking every little thing. It doesn’t mean that you can’t stand up for yourself; it just means that you need to focus on the positive sometimes, too.
• Sex is routine: Consider having a quickie here and there. There’s nothing quite like spontaneity to put that excited, naughty feeling back into having sex. Don’t let sex become so routine that you start to dread it.
• Your relationship becomes second to your kids: This has a tendency to happen to all couples to some extent. Kids come along and it’s important to nurture and take care of them. This can take a lot of time for many years. Start working to keep your relationship special between the two of you. Give each other an extra hug and kiss when you see each other. It also helps if you can plan some time for just the two of you on a regular basis even if it means hiring a babysitter.
• You forget how to be affectionate with each other: Get creative. Do things like write I Love You on the bathroom mirror in lipstick when you know he’ll be going to take a shower. Write him a naughty love letter and put under his pillow for him to find. Come up with your own ideas.
• Be ready for romance when the time presents itself: Create your very own little Romance Box. Fill it with candles, incense, massage oil, and whatever else the two of you like. In that way, you’ll be ready at a moment’s notice to set the stage for some heavy duty romance.

The important thing to remember once you become a couple is that you’re still two people that have passion and love for each other. Think back to the beginning of your relationship and remember how you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other. Spend some time reminiscing either alone or together. Many times that walk down Memory Lane can work wonders as some very effective foreplay. Don’t let your relationship suffer from routine overload. Keep it fresh and exciting. Granted, it will never be the same as it was in the beginning, but you can actually make it BETTER when you work together on keeping the romance in your relationship.

Choose Your Battles

All couples have disagreements from time to time. Many people consider arguing sometimes to be healthy for relationships. Of course, if you argue constantly that may be a sign of some different issues. However, getting back to the positive side of fighting, there are some benefits to doing some verbal slugging it out on occasion.

First of all, when couples argue, there’s a release of any tension build up. Sometimes, when you’re with someone a lot, there are things that can get on your nerves about each other. These things build when they’re not addressed and resolved. So, there may be some little thing that causes the blow up but the fight is actually about other things that have been allowed to fester for too long. Once the air is cleared, the fight is over and the tension is gone, or at least clearly reduced.

Having a difference of opinion is a good way to show that you’re not completely alike. There’s a lot to be said about having enough things in common, but nothing is more boring than being exactly alike. The things that you disagree over can be debated in a mature manner, or should be. But if yelling and throwing things is more the way you and your partner like to handle issues, go for it. Just try not to disturb the neighbors.

Something else you also need to understand about arguing is that you cannot always win. There’s no way to do that and hold onto a successful relationship. You need to be aware that you’re not always going to be right 100 percent of the time and your partner isn’t going to be, either. That’s why it’s important to choose your battles. Some things are just more important than others. When you’re positive that you’re right about something; that’s the thing to fight for. Of course, you should also be prepared for your partner to be equally adamant that he’s right about the same issue.

Another thing that turns out to be pretty nice about having a fight with your partner is that once it’s over, you get to make up. There’s just something about make up sex that’s unlike any other kind of sex you’ll ever have. It has an intensity to it that only anger and repentance can bring out. You almost feel as if you came very close to losing one another and then you were snatched back from the jaws of death regarding your relationship. The love and passion you feel for each other at the moment you make up is stronger than even the first time you were ever together physically. That’s a delicious feeling to hold onto.

Again, remember to choose your battles. Yes, the makeup sex if amazing and the end of a fight can mark the beginning of your love all over again. However, don’t fight over stupid things. Make your battles count and make them bring about a lasting joy and compromise into your relationship. Things will be so much better if you can do that.

Is Your Online Relationship Going Anywhere?

With the introduction of home computers and the Internet, dating and relationships have gone to an entirely new dimension. For example, it’s now possible for someone living in the United States to be in a relationship with someone living in Australia. The entire relationship was begun online and is maintained online. It’s not surprising that a significant percentage have never even met in person. They talk online, by Skype, instant messenger, video cameras, through email and probably on cell phones. However, they’ve never even touched each other physically.

Believe it or not, relationships such as these are quite common these days, and new ones are being formed every day. People seem quite happy being in these relationships for the most part. It gives them something to look forward to first thing in the morning and when they get home in the evening. They set up dates on the weekend and even go so far as to prepare the same meals so that they can have dinner, lunch or breakfast together by webcam.

This is all very romantic and exciting, even, but it does beg the question of just where this type of relationship is going. Does one of you plan to fly across the world in order to meet the other one? What happens if you suddenly decide you can’t live without each other? Does it even make sense to up and quit your job and trade your life in for someone that you’ve never even kissed?

These are all questions that will need to be addressed at some point in time, unless, of course, you’ve decided to just maintain this virtual relationship and never make it anything more than it is now. Believe it or not, there ARE those couples that seem to have no plans for the future. They just live in the here and now, enjoying the company of someone over their computer.

If a relationship of this kind is truly enough for you, it may be time for you to examine the reasons for not caring if you have a relationship in the truest sense of the word. Are you inherently selfish or self-centered and don’t want to have to look after someone else? Do you like the company but also the freedom that you have by not being in a true physical relationship? Do you like the romance but aren’t so fond of sex?

You really need to address these questions before making the final decision of being in a pretend relationship where you both talk about a “someday” that will never come. When you remain in a cyber-relationship such as this, you always run the risk that your online partner will decide that he wants more and wants something he can touch. Are you ready to make the move for that to happen?

You’re the only one that can decide whether or not you’re ready for a real, mature relationship. It could be that you’ll be happier having a pretend one. You should, however, be honest with your cyber partner once you decide.

Are You a Candidate for Speed Dating?

In this day and age of various ways to meet someone for dating and possibly more, one of the oddest ways of doing this has stuck around and even expanded itself. It’s a fun little exercise known as Speed Dating, and is probably among the most unique methods of meeting new people there is. People seem to either love it or hate it, but rarely is anyone indifferent.

Speed Dating isn’t exactly “dating” but rather more of an interview process between two people to see if they may want to get to know each other better. These events are organized by various dating agencies. Some even specialize in Speed Dating events. They can be for any legal age or sexual orientation.  These events can be for a set age range, older women and younger men, older men and younger women, and everything else you can think of. Whatever taste exists in dating, there’s a Speed Dating event for it.

The way these work is people are either invited to participate or they discover an event on their own and want to register for it. There’s a fee charged per person and there’s usually a limit as to how many people can attend a single event. The number of attendees is an even one for obvious reasons. These are the people that are going to be spending a few minutes with each other during the Speed Dating event to see if they connect.

Usually, there are tables set up so that everyone sits across from each other when it’s their turn to chat. There will be a sound of some sort like a bell or whistle to indicate that the “dating” between the couples will begin. It’s during this time that the couples speak to each other for anywhere from three to eight minutes. They typically introduce themselves to each other and then either volunteer a bit of information about themselves or ask questions of each other. At the end of the time limit, the bell or whistle will sound again and new couples pair up to repeat the process.

At the end of the event, there is usually something social set up for drinks and snacks. During this time, anyone that was impressed with someone else they met through the speed date will give that name to the organizers of the event. This means that the organizers have permission to contact the person on behalf of the interested party.  If the person contacted isn’t interested, he or she will state that and it ends there. However, if there’s interest, then these two people will be given contact information so they can arrange for an actual date together.

Whether or not you’re a candidate for this way of meeting someone depends on the type of person you are and what your preferences are when it comes to getting to know someone. If you’re open minded and like to have some unique fun when it comes to the dating process, Speed Dating just may be a great way for you to meet someone that’s just as much fun as you are.

Dating and the Single Parent

The world today is vastly different than it was in the 1950s. During that era, people rarely got divorced because it just wasn’t the thing to do. Couples stayed together whether they were happy or not. In the typical family, the husband went to work every day while the wife stayed at home and ran the house and looked after the children. This isn’t the typical family today.

A family today can consist of a father, mother and children, two mothers and children, two fathers and children, a mother and children, a father and children, or blended families that include step-parents and step-children. It’s the single parents that have the most interesting issues when it comes to dating. There are so many things they need to consider because there ARE children involved.

To begin with, if you have young children, you’ll need to be selective about whom you start going out with. Until you’re certain that this relationship may be going somewhere, it’s probably best not to have your children meet your new partner. If you’re dating a very nice person with domestic instincts, chances are your children will become attached to that person. If things don’t work out, you and your ex won’t be the only ones that will be hurt by a break up. Therefore, it’s usually best to keep your dating away from the kids at first.

In addition, as a single parent, you’ll need to make sure that the person you’re dating is safe. The last thing you want to do is bring home a child molester or other criminal and have that person around your children. Of course, hopefully you wouldn’t knowingly be dating someone like that.

However, when you do meet someone that you really connect with and the relationship seems to be moving in a really good direction, there will come a time when you’ll probably want to have sex with that person. Sexuality isn’t quite as guarded as it was in years past. It’s actually rather open these days, but that doesn’t mean you want your young and impressionable child walking in on you having sex with someone. So you’ll need to be very careful with that.

Depending on the age of your child or children, you may be able to have sex at your home.  A baby or toddler probably isn’t going to even realize what’s going on if you have someone spend the night. An older child, on the other hand, will certainly realize that SOMETHING is going on whether they know exactly WHAT it is or not. Teenage kids are going to be impossible to hide your behavior from no matter where you’re having sex.

The best idea when you have older kids is to stay overnight at home of the partner that doesn’t have children living there. If that’s not the case for either of you, then another option is to head out of town to a hotel. When you’re gone overnight, your teenagers will most likely know what you’ve been up to, but at least it won’t be flaunted right in their home.

If you become very close to someone, that’s the time to introduce them to your children. In that case, it’s not as likely that this person will be leaving their lives any time soon. In fact, they may even become a permanent part.

Dating sites for single parents are a great way to meet others who share your concerns and values when it comes to dating.  Check out Single Moms and Dads and start meeting compatible singles today!

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