As the traditional relationship roles shift and the strict boundaries and expectations become more flexible it can sometimes feel harder and harder to find a partner. It used to be that you met someone through friends or family or church, or maybe you met them through your place of employment. Now, in addition to those, you can meet someone through match-making websites, by joining groups online or in in person, and in multitude other ways.
With so many options, finding the right person can seem like the challenge of a lifetime. Finding a romantic partner was hard even in those times when the roles were set for us. Now for people who are single and looking for love—partnership, comradery, compassion, support—it can seem like and impossible feat to find the right person. If every person you meet has a different idea about relationships, how can you ever find someone whose ideas match yours?
But that is the best part about dating, getting to “try on” so many different styles of relationships. There is no wrong choice in dating, all choices are right choices, even if they don’t work out how we want, because they point us towards what we truly want. If you find out what doesn’t or won’t work for you in a relationship or with a partner, you will better be able to define what you truly do want.
While this type of approach to dating may seem too casual towards the feelings of the other person involved, it certainly isn’t. We all have the right to find out what will make us happy and as long as we approach dating with respect and compassion the other person’s feelings will not be hurt.
Don’t let wide horizon of potential partners and relationships intimidate you. Embrace it!