dating
All about dating. First dates, three years into a relationship, Tinder, and more.
Meeting Jeff
A story on meeting my boyfriend? How do you suppose that will be a good enough story? You don’t but reading about other people’s relationships seems to get people on their toes. My boyfriend (we’ll call him Jeff) and I met about four years ago, it was almost summer. We didn’t meet in person we met on a website, we were both looking to add friends on Snapchat. After we had a conversation, we finally decided to add each other, I didn’t know we would talk almost every day but we did and I opened myself up to him. I talked to him about things I couldn’t talk to my closest friends or family members about. A few months later, I had lost my grandma, she passed away my junior year or high school. My boyfriend and I weren’t in touch then but I finally decided to reach out to him, I never told him about my grandma, it was hard for me to even talk about it. After that we kept talking, we talked as if we were actually boyfriend and girlfriend but we weren’t. After I graduated high school and moved out of town to go to college my boyfriend and I talked more, a lot more. In December, I met a guy (Tom) and we had started dating. I would talk to Jeff here and there but nothing flirty, just a conversation. The more into the relationship with Tom the more I saw of the abusive side I saw. A month after my college graduation, Tom had called it off and it was about two or three in the morning, I was hurt and sad and Jeff decided to call. So here we are sitting on at 2-3 AM while I’m crying my eyes out to him, right then and there I realized it’s been Jeff all this time. I forced it upon ourselves to meet. June 5, 2017 is the day Jeff and I met, my emotions were everywhere. For years I never thought I’d meet him but there I was on June 5, sitting next to him, talking with him. We kept seeing each other every other day, July came and I questioned when we were actually going to make it happen, when are we gonna call it official? July 9, we had gone bowling and before the night ended he asked me, I jokingly said no but laughed it off and said yes. In August, I was at his parents' house and we were having a good time playing a game as a family and all of a sudden I get a sharp horrible pain in my back and I’ve never seen my boyfriend or his parents get so worried when it came to me. I had just met his parents and here they are rushing to me the ER due to my pain. That night I realized how much I’m in love with him, it was that night where I knew I could be myself around him without judgment. Like it says in the song "Say You Won’t Let Go," “I knew I loved you then but you'd never know cause I played it cool when I was scared of letting go.” That part of the song honestly describes what I felt that night. I was scared of letting him see me cry or in pain, but having him sit there made me realize I love him. Couple months later, I was diagnosed with depression, I had no ideas how to tell Jeff. I finally told him about it and he tried to get me to talk to people. Lately, you see all these famous people committing suicide because they are struggling with depression. My boyfriend tells me I should talk to someone and get help, but would it help or just make it worse? But just having him there to somewhat understand what’s going on when I have my good days and when I have my bad days, he sits there and listens to me, but I think it works both ways, if you want to be heard you need to have people that will sit there and listen to you. Ever since I met Jeff I’ve seen more of my happiness coming out, but obviously, I’m going to have my days where I don’t wanna go to work and when I don’t want to deal with anyone. He’s been by my side through the ups and downs. 320 days later and we’re still together, despite all the bad things that have happened and all the arguing, we still manage to stay together. Always remember that the next time you and a loved one are arguing, it’s not you vs him or you vs her, it’s both of you guys vs the problem.
By Briana Nicole8 years ago in Humans
L Is for Life
I wanna start by saying I'm a 35-year-old woman who is still very confused about relationships. I've never had that perfect connection. I've lived with ex's and even been married before. I have one child who is my true love and life, in general, is tough.
By Tyger Jackson8 years ago in Humans
On Finding an Inspiration
While many creative thinkers and artists throughout history were able to produce glorious works throughout their careers, it is in the rarest moments that bursts of inspiration sped along the creative process. These episodes of inspiration gave rise to the most memorable works that outlived their creators by centuries. Since classical antiquity, the idea of "the Muse" has captured and inspired the imaginations of Hellenic practitioners of art and many in the ages that followed. As the eras progressed, the concept of the Muse has shifted from a divine nature to that of a more earthly sort: during the Renaissance and in the Romantic period of art, anything could serve a inspirational purpose, from nature to the targets of infatuation and passionate emotions, to religion. In the modern age, despite having the whole of history, art and culture at our fingertips, the state of arts has noticeably changed. Much of it is sarcastic, a literal mockery of culture, current events, policies and art of the past. This piece is not intended as a critique of how stoic and sarcastic modernity has made art. This change is not inherently destructive as there are still just as many, if not more, creative powerhouses in contemporary art circles. Rather, the change in tone and meaning represents evolution from a more passive experience of art to a more interactive one.
By Artiste Anonyme8 years ago in Humans
To Risk or Not to Risk
Have you ever been in love? Did it come naturally like bumping into Mr. Right in a bar or street café? What about internet dating? I tried it and here’s a funny little tidbit. Have you ever known anyone to be kicked off a major dating site which I won’t mention, but I was told that they couldn’t help me because I was and still am very selective about who I bring into my life and the lives of my kids, you know? Safety first. But after being politely told to scram I received my $50 bucks back to boot, so I guess I can’t really complain. I’ve been told I have no gray area; it's either here or not here. I’m working on that just like I’ve been working on patience for the last 40 years.
By Raven Starr8 years ago in Humans
Blind Love
When I was younger I dreamed of my "Happily Ever After," always watching Disney fairytales I expected that life or at least something close to it. In grade school I had my first crush in grade six, he was gorgeous and popular. Almost the entire school was friends with him, and to me he looked like he was created by angels. Back then I was so carefree that I feared nothing. I gathered my courage and picked a beautiful flower and gave it to him. Now I wasn't expecting something grand but for sure did not expect what I got in return. For an entire year after expressing feelings to him I was tormented and bullied until I finally graduated. All his friends would chase me around and call me names. He would embarrass me in front of the whole school and laugh. I felt so ashamed for telling someone I liked them, and it got worse from there on out.
By Kaiden Williams8 years ago in Humans
First Sight
All she wanted to do was sleep, after a long day, all she wanted to do was sleep in her own bed, covered in pillows and stuffed animals left from when she was a baby to keep her warm. But that had changed when all she focused on was his soft voice, how he was so caring, how handsome he was, just him. For a moment he was the only thing in the world with her. She didn’t know him as he didn’t know her, but the connection was real and strong as they bonded over everyone while trying to be so true to each other while being interesting. But she knew in that second with talking about the thing she most cared for, she didn’t have to pretend, he saw her. She had finally made a friend in less than one hour of walking home from the bus where he waited for her to make sure she got home safe. She felt safe. She felt safe for the first time in her life, she didn’t have to pretend, she didn’t have to care (although she cared a lot), she didn’t have to be someone else, all she had to be was herself. He made that so easy. No matter how nervous they both were, how she couldn’t speak and he couldn’t stop, how the connection was too powerful for either of them to realize what was going on, for them to stop. Stop still at the end of the roundabout, for him to go no further, for her to wonder why he stopped. Had she done something wrong? Then she realized she was nearly home and he respected her privacy, they didn’t know each other even though they felt like they knew each other for years. They stopped and so did their hearts. They said a friendly goodbye and parted there separate ways to where they knew they would see each other again.
By Amber Neville8 years ago in Humans
What Nobody Ever Told Me About Love
Growing up in the poster-household for normalcy and the average nuclear family, I was exposed to a typical four member family for all of my life. I was not faced with adversity, and I was pretty privileged in that, if I do say so myself. It was because of this type of family that raised me that I believe in people too much, and I fall too hard. These do not always sound like bad qualities, but when it came to a boy who took advantage of my naïve heart and over-forgiving personality, I was forced to wake up from this sunshine and rainbows mentality that had dominated my life for so long. It was because of this disloyal, manipulative, conniving boy that I learned most of what I learned about love. These are the things that nobody told me:
By Heather Culbertson8 years ago in Humans
Harboring Heartbreak
I don't know why I find him attractive. There isn't anything striking about his appearance. He's actually quite ordinary. He has a round face, light brown hair, brown eyes, and a really goofy grin. We aren't exactly friends. He has always been apart of the cool group and I'm the weird girl no one dares approach. But there was just one day where he made a joke in class, and I turned and he smiled at me. He acknowledged me. Now I had never found him very attractive before. I hadn't really noticed him before, to be honest, but there was something about the way that he looked at me that made me think I wanted to be his friend.
By Julia Hammon8 years ago in Humans
When You're Difficult To Love
The most mesmerizing people are those who provoke the mind in a number of ways. Like a riddle that can’t be solved or a Rubik’s cube, these souls baffle those who get too involved, for better or for worse. Most of the time, though, these jigsaw souls are Pandora’s Box for partners, and relationships are impossible challenges. Some will say you’re unworthy. Too complex. Annoying. Others will give up at the slightest sign of resistance. Don’t listen to them.
By Valerie Taylor8 years ago in Humans
Interracial Dating (From a Black Woman's Perspective)
Ever since I was a little girl, I always had this enthrallment with white men. Of course, when I was younger, it was little caucasian boys. Don’t ask me why, but that fascination grew as I got older. Being thoroughly attracted to white men could be rough at times. Where I live, there are white men on every corner. However, I grew up in a school where there were probably only nine black kids. Lots of the guys at school were super interested in fucking black girls on the low. In public, though, that was a big no no. I dated one guy from my school publicly and was given a tough time about it. His friends that were girls would make up outrageous lies: “your girlfriend called me a cracker,” “she flirts with other people,” etc. They would do their normal bullying and it was honestly super pathetic. I dated another guy on the low; however, he was a little older than me. I was still in middle school and he was in high school. He was one of the "popular" boys. His excuse as to why we couldn’t go public was he didn’t want to be viewed as a “sex offender.” He was just three years older than me. Our age differences were not uncommon in a lot of the couples that went to our school. Loads of times it has always been every excuse in the book. In fact, in my adult life, I have only dated one man whose family was super okay with me being black. His whole family embraced me. It was probably the best relationship I had been in. We ended up splitting because he wasn’t ready for his friends to know he was knocking boots with a black girl. It crushed me because we had been through so much. He met my friends, family, and I had been there for him when his mother passed away. While my love for white guys still stands, it hasn’t exactly been a smooth ride. Here I am still single as shit and probably staying that way for a while. Today I wanted to share a few things with you about what I have experienced during my time exploring interracial dating. Fasten your seat belts, kids. It's about to get crazy around here!
By The Darkest Sunrise8 years ago in Humans
