Dating & Relationships

“I never thought I would be typing these words, but my husband always teased me that if we ended up getting married, I’d have to do one of these testimonials.”

Something strange happened to me today, so usual that it made me question my reality. How do people really see me? Do they see my disability dog and tripod walker before they see me? Or was it the other way round? Importantly does disability act as some kind of deterrent, or are people more opened -minded that I thought they were? So I began to look for answers, I was surprised by what I found. It’s not conclusive of course. It’s only a bite –sized review (references at end for further stories), but if there’s anyone else like me out there, dating with a disability then listen up. I’ve got something to say and I like you may like it.

Rising temperatures and light nights bring a wealth of opportunities to get outdoors and hit the reset button after winter. So here are seven suggestions of on-trend, seasonal date ideas, that’ll help you make the most of this summer.

When I started online dating, it was fun — at first. I loved the sheer number of people who were also hoping to find love. I was fascinated by how people presented themselves. How they approached me. How they spent time getting to know me before meeting me. It was easy to log in during the down times of my day and chat with a friend. Or plan a date. Or simply flirt.

I went on a blind date last week – my first ever. There’s a whole series of stereotypes around blind dates, and I’m guilty of holding most of them. They’re awkward, high-risk, potentially intense. But I left my blind date with the following three reflections:

‘So how did you find them?’, people ask me when I tell them I had 60 dates in 2 years. ‘How did you find all those fine, potential partners?’ The answer: I didn’t. When you search for a perfect potential partner, you will end up finding no one because basically, that’s the wrong place to start.

Last month, I shared my tips for dealing with a painful and unwelcome break-up. But for everyone who’s dumped, there’s someone doing the dumping – and with that comes responsibility. If you decide a relationship isn’t going anywhere and you’d be happier alone, you have every right to move on. But even if you’ve reached the point where you don’t even like the other person much and can’t wait to get shot of them, you can still treat them with dignity and kindness. In fact, being a Christian demands nothing less. (The exception is an abusive relationship. In that scenario, forget courtesy – just get out fast and don’t look back.) So if you’re planning to finish it, here are my top three dos and don’ts for a kinder break-up…

‘If you want to go fast travel alone, if you want to go far, travel together’ the saying goes. Most of us have a tendency to do dating alone. It often surprises me how few people know about a date someone is having. It’s as if people are ashamed to share the fact that they are dating. ‘But I don’t want my friends to expect me to be engaged next week!’ a client of mine answered when I asked her why she didn’t tell anyone.