Happy Monday everyone! Isn’t it a great day today? At least in London it seems to be…

We’ve had such nice weather this weekend, it’s been warm and sunny, and everyone is in spring mode already. Hopefully it will last just a bit longer, but oh, the difference the sun makes!

It’s been such a busy weekend… I’m tired just thinking about it. Unfortunately, I was a bit sick on Friday, so I decided to work from home. It’s great I have that option available. I could keep myself warm and cosy, while still being productive. The main issue is, however, the lack of interaction. Since I sit in an area with lots of traffic in the office, I tend to talk to a lot of people at work, but being at home, I felt that I was missing the interruptions.

Friday I still decided to keep it quiet and relaxed, since I was going to a seminar on Saturday and I needed to get up early. I was meeting my friend at 8.30am, so it was going to be an early start.

I don’t want to get into a lot of detail about the seminar, but it was really about finding what you want in life, and how to better manage some interactions to get you where you need to be. It was an eye opener. A bit of life and love coaching all together.

We stayed there all day, but it didn’t feel too much or boring, as we were stopping from time to time to dance and have fun in general. We left the place feeling empowered and with a few new connections, so even though we missed the sunshine, the day was a success.

On Sunday, as it’s become customary, my brother and I did our laundry and after, I decided to go for a run, to keep up with my training, and also to get out of the house and have some chilled time with myself. I was hesitating as to where to run, since I don’t like my area much. I love Greenwich Park, but it’s way too hilly for me and I wasn’t feeling that kind of motivation on Sunday. In the end, I decided to hop on public transport and go to Island Gardens. Once there, I followed Thames Path all the way to Bank. I almost got lost a couple of times, but it was such a nice route, and since it was quite sunny, running along the river when the sun was starting to set was amazing. The light was golden and I almost felt like I was in a film. I was listening to my Happy playlist, and it helped with the motivation a lot! (This song below helps illustrate better how I was feeling)

Anyway, 10 kilometres after, I was tired and still had to do day #7 of the 30 Days Abs Challenge I’m following, which was tough, but I managed. I’m very thankful to today being a rest day, to be honest!

As you might know, I’m trying to eat healthier, to exercise more regularly and to save some money, which means I’m preparing my food most of the time and I’m avoiding the bad sort of snacks. Almost every morning last week, I made a smoothie before work. They were just made with fruit the first few days, so super healthy. On Friday, I decided to treat myself and made this banana chocolate shake. I think I might become addicted to it, since I had another one this morning. It was also the first time I had tried almond milk, and I think I like it.

The half marathon seems like an impossible challenge at the moment, but after yesterday’s run, I think I could do it, especially if I keep at it. These 10k were difficult at times, and I had to stop and walk, especially because of some narrow pathways crammed with people, prams, kids, dogs… I also almost got lost a couple of times, due to construction works along the path, but the views were worth it.

All this weekend, I’ve also been talking to a couple of guys online, who are restoring my faith in the male gender… While there are still many dudes who are simply rude and think the anonymity of internet can give them carte blanche to behave in any manner and forget, well, manners; I’ve been asked (straight away, with barely a “hi”) if I have the contact details of a reputable dealer ( er… nope, sorry, can’t help here…); again, without even asking how my day was, I’ve been complimented on my “nice body”; (thanks, it’s mostly genetics) and I’ve also spoken to a guy who had a goth outfit he wanted me to wear and considered only his pants to be goth… whatever that means!

Not all hope is lost, as I’ve also found that there are some guys out there just trying to fit in somehow; guys who claim dating isn’t for them and they just want to find The One, others who are honest and upfront about what they want, without actually being sleazy about it, and well, general normal human beings!

A few days back, I mentioned I had gone on a date and I was going to tell you about it. Now that the story is resolved, let me spill the beans.

I met this guy online, let’s call him M. It was Sunday and the weather outside was indeed frightful. I was doing nothing at all on that day, and was just watching TV. M seemed to be a nice guy, maybe not as responsive with messages as you would like/expect, but hey, he admitted he was a bit hungover, so who am I to judge. We decided to meet, so I suggested some day during the week. He counter-suggested to meet on that same day… er… ok… I asked him if he was sure as, after all, he was feeling the alcohol from the night before, and the weather wasn’t great. He said yes, so I started getting ready.

I messaged him to confirm the time, and he took ages to reply. That should have been, if not a red flag, at least a yellow one… When he finally replied (and thank god I hadn’t left yet, as I was waiting for confirmation, see? I’m a clever girl!) he basically said he had just noticed the weather and asked if we could postpone. I was annoyed. I was so annoyed that I decided to go out of the flat anyway and go see my friend. He was actually impressed that I had a back up plan so quickly, because when he realised I was disappointed, he tried to backtrack and meet up, but I told him it was already too late.

You know how these go… Ah, sorry, I will make it up to you, name the day and we’ll meet.

So we had a date on Tuesday. The build up to the date was me and my friends discussing what an idiot this guy was for bailing on me because of bad weather, I mean, hello? So I was expecting him to be a douche. To be honest, I was hoping he would be.

As it turned out, he was very attractive (in no way related with personality, I know, but I thought I would get that bit out of the way). He was also charming and sweet. We had a great evening, and it was fun and interesting and damn, he had amazing eyes. He told me what he did for a living, and let me tell you, it’s one of those jobs that upon hearing it, women can’t help but automatically take their clothes off. I guess it was a good thing we were in a public place… haha

Anyway, long story short, the date was great.

I am one to normally text after a date, to say the usual it was nice, thanks for the evening, what-have-you. When he didn’t reply, I felt a bit suspicious, but since he hasn’t been the faster texter ever, I didn’t think more of it. Another warning flag? Definitely.

After a few days, I simply asked him if he wanted to meet again. Many hours later, he sent me The Text. I’m normally ok with those, but it irked me that without any indication from my side, he just assumed I wanted something really serious or something after just one date, you know those, right? The you’re great, but I’m not looking for a relationship right now.

Right… I was annoyed at the amount of assumptions in such a short text, but I decided not to let it dampen my week. Since he wasn’t interested, I decided to let it rest, but of course, me being me, I couldn’t just let it go, so I texted him back, simply saying that he had assumed that, but I wasn’t looking for a relationship either, adding it had been great to meet him, and ending it with a “take care too!” as he had wished me in his message. I’m a happy, nice girl after all, that can take a rebuke lightly!

Not one, but three hours later, a simple curt text – “So what are you looking for?”

Now, I might be a weirdo, but I’m not going to have that sort of conversation by text, and especially with a 3-hour delay in between messages. I resolved to let it and wait for the next day, where I was attending this seminar, and see what I could learn from it, and if it could help. Guess what? It did help. After the seminar, I decided that it was a waste of time. Self-worth and high value, that’s pretty much my mindset at the moment, with everything around me, work, life, and love. There’s no time to waste with time-wasters.

Funny thing is, if he hadn’t simply assumed that I was trying to get him into a relationship, if he had asked, or had an open discussion about it, I would have happily gone along with it, but the fact that he had just assumed what was on my mind, nope. I’m not sorry, but I haven’t replied to his last text because there really isn’t any point.

Anyway, I have another date on Wednesday. This guy seems better. He’s fun, sweet and seems to want to meet me and makes an effort to keep in touch. Unfortunately, he lives far, so we’ll have to see how it all works out, but so far, so good. I expect nothing… Whether it goes well or not, it will be good practise!

For the past month or so, I’ve decided to change my attitude in general. I’m trying to be nicer with myself, to allow for mistakes and to take risks. There’s no shame in making a fool of myself, as trying and practise are what give results; and let’s be honest, it’s the mistakes and failures, as well as the successes what make life worth living.

More to come soon!