And That's Why You're Single

Posted: 30 Jan 2014 02:03 PM PST

Name: B

Comment: Two questions.. How do I prevent myself from getting attached too fast, and do men care about their partner’s professional success?

A 45 yo recently contacted me online, and we proceeded to have long, intense conversations over the next two weeks, which he initiated. We were both overwhelmed with work, hence the delay in meeting.He was evolved, polite, intelligent, easy to talk to and considerate. He’d left his unhappy marriage and his next gf abruptly dumped him (who he deemed a narcissist) and he was blindsided. About a year later he posted his profile on a dating site, where he met his next two girlfriends, both 25. This gave me pause.

After googling him, to my surprise I discovered that he was a very well known in his field. He also teaches a class at an ivy league school. NYC is full of accomplished people but I’ve never encountered anyone like this. My immediate thought is that this person is WAY out of my league. That said, he was very grounded and we really connected on the phone and had SO much in common.I told him that I had graduated from a state school and he said ‘look, i’m 45, i’m past caring about such things’. WE both felt that we were an intellectual match despite the differential in our status.

We meet, he’s even more attractive, interesting and charismatic than I’d expected. I, on the other hand, was feeling a bit insecure (which I hadn’t on the phone) and was exhausted; I should have postponed the date. I didn’t put my best foot forward. We still had fun, he invited me up to his apt, which was impeccable. Amazing sex, in fact the best sex I had ever had. I contacted him a few times over the weekend, and we engaged in some idle chit chat, but I requested a call which was not returned. We then spoke again and he said he could speak the following day, and called me after I asked him if he was busy and could speak that day. I was in a state of high, high anxiety waiting to speak with him again.It was intolerable. I became way, way too attached far too fast, and I don’t know how to prevent this from happening. I understand that I have to chill out and leave the ball in his court, but until I heard from his I had horrid anxiety.

This is going to work against me, always and I don’t know how to control it. We spoke for a while, were disconnected, he called back and when I suggested meeting later this week he said he was far too busy over the next two weeks and would be for some time, and it was simply too late tonight. I know that he IS extraordinarily busy, I don’t doubt that. He’s working on another project, has two sons, and writing for another site, and I’ve verified this. So yes, I doubt he has time for any relationship. I was discussing dating online in general, and he was giving me tips. Clearly he’s not interested. I point blank ask him what he wants, and why he initiated a relationship that he couldn’t sustain, and he said he had just far extended himself professionally.

I apologized for putting him on the spot,I supposed that if i point blank asked maybe I’d get the answer I wanted to hear. He said it was healthy that we were having the conversation and that it was the adult thing to do, and that he simply couldn’t devote the time to me that he needed. He said he had no idea if we were a potential match since we had only met once. We then hung up, and I immediately sent him an email saying I get it, I can read between the lines, and apologized for backing him into a corner. I said that I know he was being kind and trying to spare my feelings, and that I would have handled it in a similar manner. I did borrow his mittens and leave my hat at his house (inadvertently) and he explained on the phone that we did need to exchange them.

I closed my email by letting me know what time was best to do the exchange and said that if we crossed paths again that would be great, and if not, so be it. No response. I have to go home tomorrow and told him I wouldn’t be home for a few weeks and that I couldn’t get his gloves to him until then (which he needs). I closed by saying we should go to a tapas bar (we’ve both been to spain several times) when his schedule loosens up. This was several hours ago. No response.

When he first contacted me, he had mentioned that even if there wasn’t a romantic connection, that he thought we could still have a valuable friendship. I feel horrible and depressed and can’t stop thinking about what he found wrong with me, why he didn’t want to move forward after we had had a great night. The day after our date, I thanked him for the date, said i had fun, and he replied that he had had fun too, and thanked me for coming out and staying over, but didn’t suggest a future date. At that point I should have just waited for him to contact me again, because the writing was on the wall, correct? I suspect that he would have been open to remaining friends, and I want to believe that I could, but the reality is that it would just be torture for me.

I’ve never, ever met someone who satisfied all my ‘requirements’, and I can’t stop torturing myself about where I went wrong on our date. Did I talk too much, was i boring, was he not attracted to me, was I awful in bed and I’m filled with self doubt. But he did reply to me that weekend, and call me two days later, but only after I ahd requested it.I tried to keep my last email casual and brief. I don’t know where I went wrong, and I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes, nor to I want to give in to this desire to speak to the guy for confirmation the next day that he had fun. The waiting in limbo is awful. And now I can’t stop thinking about him. I suppose I should start dating again to distract myself and remind myself that he’s not the only man in nyc, but I fear that everyone will pale in comparison which will make me feel worse. I just wish I could get out of my own head and move past this. I mean, it was only 2 weeks of intense conversation and one date! I wasn’t with this person for 6 mos.

I know this message is disjointed and probably contains irrelevant information, but I don’t want to sabotage the chance for a second date again, and I believe that would have been a possibility when his schedule relaxed had I not been such a spaz. Should I be dating several men at once to maintain perspective? when he said he had an unbelievably busy two weeks, should I have just said ok, let’s stay in touch and let me know when your schedule eases up? I did say that, but then I called back to ask him exactly where things stood, and as I mentioned, he did say it was a reasonable, healthy conversation and one that we should be having. I really have absolutely no idea what i’m doing when it comes to dating, because I simply haven’t had much practice. the ‘just be myself’ works over the phone, and very well via email,I’m not insecure about my physical attractiveness or personality, but then I freeze on dates. And drink to relax. I know dating requires a strategy, but I don’t know where to start.
Age: 41
City: NYC
State: NY

Yes, this guy recognized that you were way too invested and backed off. But he was probably going to do that any way. At the very least, given how busy his schedule is, he was never going to be able to offer you much in terms of time. You imploded here. You let your insecurity get the better of you and you looked to him to reassure you of his interest and that it was sincere. For that reason alone, you should avoid sleeping with men until you feel more secure in the direction of the relationship. You can’t do casual, which is not a short-coming or limitation. It’s just not for you. If you’re someone who plays scenarios over and over trying to pin point the exact moment things went wrong, then casual sex or first date sex is not for you.

Here’s a good rule of thumb. If someone you meet online or off falls well outside of what you typically pull, then approach with caution. You were out of your element and you let this guy and all of his accomplishments and status trip you up. To compensate for your nerves, you drank. Which of course lowered your inhibitions. But let’s face it. You would have slept with him even if you were sober. You can’t let charm and charisma sway you. You’ve built this guy up in your head to be something he probably isn’t. Now you have to focus on moving on and letting go. Your desire to date this perfect guy says more about how you view yourself than anything else. You’re giving him far more credit than he has earned or that he deserves. That’s why you’re kicking yourself. If I had to guess, what you sought was his approval more than anything else. You need to figure out why you needed that. Once you determine the source of your anxiety, you’ll be better able to manage it.

I don’t really have much to add here. You know where you went wrong. Now you’re beating yourself up which isn’t going to do you any good. Forget about your hat. Buy another one. It’s a hat, not a bag of gold dubloons. He doesn’t care about his gloves, either. So don’t use those items as an excuse to stay in touch. I assure you, he is not attached to those gloves. He can buy a new pair.

Attract Girls Now

Thursday, January 30, 2014

And That's Why You're Single

And That's Why You're Single

No comments:

Post a Comment