To date, or not to date?

One week before Paul died, we had a conversation about our futures, should one of us die – a conversation sparked because it was the anniversary of my very dear friend’s death. And it seemed that Paul and I both agreed: We would want the surviving partner to carry on and live life; to be happy; to date or re-marry. Not the week after the funeral, obviously, but eventually.

So, I promised that if anything ever happened to him, I would date again. But never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that just one week later I would be faced with living up to my promise.

It’s been over three and a half years since Paul died and I am still alone. I haven’t found someone new and there are no prospects on the horizon. In fairness, I did attempt to “find love online” a little over a year ago, which only served to bruise my ego. And about six months ago I went on a first date, which didn’t work out because the guy was an idiot. And, though embarrassing to admit, I even thought there might be a connection with someone I knew, but it turns out that I misread our friendship and his intentions were less-than-honourable. (A lucky escape for me, I suppose.)

Now I find myself in a hard position. I’m confused and scared about the idea of dating. I’m afraid of getting hurt. I’m afraid of falling in love again. And I’m afraid of having someone I love die too soon.

At the same time, I feel guilty for not dating. I feel as if I’m letting Paul down. I feel as if he would be telling me to stop being alone and lonely – and start finding someone new to love.

But I don’t want to try online dating again. And I haven’t had luck asking friends to introduce me to (decent) single guys. And I don’t have the kind of social life that puts me in a position to meet new people – let alone single guys.

So how does a woman in her very late 30s find a man when she doesn’t have a social life and doesn’t want to find someone online? And do I really need to find someone? Is it possible to just live the rest of my life alone?

I don’t know the answer to any of these questions, Dear Reader, but I hope to find them. And I hope that the journey to discovery isn’t too painful. And I hope that, if I do end up dating again, I can find someone perfect for me. And not someone to replace Paul (he’s irreplaceable) but someone to compliment my life. Someone who can make me laugh and make my heart skip a beat. Someone like the (single) man in my dreams.