Well, I did it. I posted an online profile. And instead of feeling that exhilarated buzz that comes with batting eyelashes and flirty messages, I’m in a state of semi-dread.

This is not a good place to be for a dating marathon.

I have a sneaking suspicion I jumped the gun a little bit. I think I got into a mental space of “Why haven’t you started the online dating already?” when the answer might well be – I need to really want to do it.

I’m not sure how familiar you are with online dating, but it is a lot of work. Don’t get me wrong, there can be a lot of fun involved too, but it takes up a lot of time and cleverness. Plus, there is the added stresser of having to admit that there are some folks who just aren’t a good fit. This is exhausting.

I know. I know. Even re-reading it I’m thinking “Really, HARD work? Really?” But it is, I swear. Right now in my Dating Inbox there are no less than a dozen emails. After reading the emails and perusing the profiles, there are two I’m even remotely interested in responding to. And this is even after telling myself that punctuation shouldn’t be a “deal breaker”.

In the past, I’d simply let the emails go unanswered. Maybe that’s bad manners, but honestly, that’s why I’m a fan of “winking” first. Winking says “Hey – you’re cute and/or interesting. Wanna talk?” If the answer is “no” – no harm, no foul. But now I feel an email requires a response. And I literally have a gentleman in the queue who has sent me no less than four emails asking if we can talk. Which is beginning to feel a lot like badgering.

I can almost hear you thinking what I was thinking just a couple of days ago – “This is what you wanted. This is a gosh darn Love Quest and you’re batting away men already??!!”

Believe me. I stopped and paused and checked myself on it. But here’s the thing. Just because I really truly want to find a wonderful man to spend my life with, doesn’t mean he can be just ANYBODY. Quite the opposite – he needs to be SOMEBODY. And vice versa, by the way. I don’t want to be with a man who thinks I’m just okay. That’s really not enough to make a run of the next 40 years.

So, this Love Quest isn’t going to be all grocery store flirting hilarity. There’s going to be some tough days. And as we round out the first month, I suppose it’s fair. Dating isn’t just shopping and makeovers. It’s shopping around and making room. Room in your life for something amazing to happen.

So, I’ll lift up my chin ala Annie and say – Tomorrow, tomorrow. I love ya, tomorrow. You’re only a day away.