The Drama of the Dating Game

D ating is tough. You spend time getting to know someone and deciding whether the two of you are compatible. Then you work your way up to the big question, "Will you go out with me?"

Then you sweat the answer... Will he/she say yes? What could possibly go wrong?

That Murphy's Law guy says, "If it can go wrong, it will go wrong."

On the edge of your seat, you wait for the answer...

Will it be yes or no?

If it is a no, you have to go find someone else willing to talk to you and go through the same process once again.

If it is a yes, then Mr. Murphy comes along and says, "If it can go wrong, it will go wrong."

So you go on that first date.

Will he/she think I eat too much?

Is there food in my teeth?

We get nervous, because we want the person we are with to like us enough to go on a second date.

First it is dinner, then a movie... Folks still do that right? Or am I just old-fashioned?

During dinner, we try small talk. And unfortunately, the more uncomfortable the two of us are -- the more nervous we are -- the more likely we will both struggle to figure out what to talk about.

Have you ever been on one of those dates where the two of you simply had nothing in common? And the two of you could not find a conversation starter to start the night right?

I have had successful dates... Shoot, I have been married at least once.

And I have had disaster dates...

After doing this dating thing for too many years, I have learned that if you leave the restaurant without striking an excited conversation, then the relationship is doomed... Ask my ex-wife, she will verify this...

But, if you strike the conversation with someone that is a good match for you, then you may not leave the restaurant until they restaurant staff throws you out of the building... Ah... Good times... Ask my current wife!

When I was dating my first wife, we saw A LOT of movies...

When I was dating my second wife, I don't think we ever saw a movie until we had been married for a couple years!

My best bud used dating sites to find his current fiancee. Interestingly, my friend found that his experience with dating was very similar to my own...

He figured out that the women that he would chat with online, with whom he hit it off quickly, were women whom he dated for a long time...

And those who could not carry a conversation with him never made it to the same chat room twice!

Some people harass my buddy about looking for women on a dating site, but dating really is not that different between offline and online...

The biggest difference I think is something that I would consider a benefit... You get the chance to figure out if the two of you have something worth talking about, before you drop $30 on dinner!

You get to find out if the two of you are compatible and attracted to each other, before having to get dressed in your best clothes, drive across town, and share a meal with a stranger...

Not that I think I will see the inside of a divorce court again, but if I did, I have faith in the idea that I have this dating thing figured out... And what is different about online dating is that I don't have to waste money on dinner to find out that the woman I am talking to now is not right for me.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Clarence Lee is the owner of http://www.datinglegend.com/ a dating site committed to bringing together adults for casual dating in the United Kingdom. visit Clarence Lee.