The Ambitious Text

I have long suspected that texting is ruining my dating life. I now know this to be true. It was never easy really. Dating hasn't been easy for anyone since the days of men hitting women over the head, and then, it was only easy for the man.  As a woman, I can't think of a time in which I would rather have lived.  I don't mean to sound ungrateful for the fact that I am dating, having sex, blogging about it and suffering little-to-no repercussions. I am offered an opportunity that few women in history have been fortunate enough to so freely attain. I am thankful. I don't mean to sound like my dating woes are anything worth complaining about.

That having been said, texting sucks. And for the very same reason that it sucks, I readily use it. That reason? It's convenient. It's easy. That convenience is alluring. It's safer. It's something to do when you are bored. It's so tempting. You don't want to talk on the phone? Not feeling up for confrontation?  Just text. It's easy. So, you can stop talking whenever you like. 

... But, if you should fail to stop talking in time, you canNOT take anything back. Nor, can you easily smooth over dumb statements. So, that very convenience that pulls you in can bite you in the ass. Serious conversations should not be handled over text. And way too frequently, lately, the texts have gone from lighthearted to heavy. It's not a good way to handle even the simplest of serious conversations. We've all had those texts that just didn't sound right. As frequently as we all say things we don't totally mean, I am worse when it comes to texting. 

As of late, I have been far more likely to text something I later regret than to say something that I later regret. Saying something I regret rarely happens lately. But, of course it does. When would I say anything at all? I only text. I have been on very few dates lately and I am not really talking to anyone, so I occasionally talk to The Almost Boyfriend or Lewis. I am texting a few new guys. But, at this point, there isn't much face-to-face time. 

So, I am going to start talking more and texting less. I have had some pretty unappealing text convos as of late and so I am laying off. I am going to fight the convenience of texting. If I want to have the conversation, I will have it on the phone or in person. If I don't want to have it, I just won't have it. I don't get to ride the fence anymore. This whole process is just trial and error. And, in the past year, I have discovered that all the texting is in error. It's time to stop texting and put my words where my mouth is.