I bought a new ring this weekend.  Since I had lost 20 pounds after Kathys’ death, I was afraid that I might loose my wedding ring, so I took it off.  Yet, I really felt a need to have a ring on that finger.  After all, I had a wonderful 37 year marriage but death ended my marriage.

Then, this weekend, I saw a black ring and said “yes!  That is exactly what I am look for!”  It is a wedding band to symbolize my marriage and black to symbolize the loss of my precious wife.  Strange as it may sound, I now feel whole again.

I once dated at woman who had a cottage in Holland on Lake Michigan.  Well, actually, it was a 1/4 mile away from the Lake but it was close enough in her mind to be called “lake front property.”

She was a lonely widow who was looking for companionship.  And, I was a lonely widower who was also looking for companionship.  So, we seemed like a natural match.

After our first date, she told me to caller her anytime and so I did.  But, in the middle of our second conversation, she told me that she had to go because she needed to go down to the beach to watch the sunset.  Well, OK!!

I never called her back and she is still looking for Mr. Right!!  Maybe she can find someone as shallow as she is.

Every person that you date has some sort of family baggage.  Some baggage is small while other baggage is enormous.

A woman that I dated recently had a whole lot of baggage.  Her Ex is gay, her son has cancer, her sister has MS, her brother-in-law is bipolar, her sister-in-law is terminally ill, her mother is in assisted living and she herself has blood issues.  But, other than that, her life is normal.

I think that this is way more baggage than I can handle.

Besides love, communications is the next most important element of a successful relationship.  A couple needs to be able to effectively communicate their needs, their wants, their hurts, their concerns and their dreams.  If this type of communications does not occur, then the relationship is doomed to failure.

I am corresponding with a woman who claims to be divorced but I suspect that she really isn’t.  For starters, I don’t get much correspondence from her.  And when she does correspond, it is always from work.  Plus, while she seems to be very interested in me and does live rather close, she doesn’t seem interested in going out with me.

I suppose, she could just be shy, but I suspect that her husband doesn’t let her date.

No one likes getting dumped by their boyfriend but it does happen whether we like it or not.  When women get dumped by their boyfriends, they go into mourning.  They call all of their girls friends and tell them all about the breakup and how they were treated so unfairly.  And, their girlfriends console them and agree with their assessment of the situation.  They mope, they cry, they denounce all men as evil people.  And, they swear that they will never ever date again.

No one likes getting dumped by their girlfriend but it does happen whether we like it or not.  When men  get dumped by their girlfriends, they respond by getting right back into the dating circuit.  They don’t spend weeks talking about the hurt and disappointment with their friends and they don’t cry about it.  They are men and men are tough.  Besides, crying never fixes anything.  After all, when you get thrown from a horse, you get right back on it again.

I was Mr. Summer, 2011, aka, a “boy toy”.  I replaced Mr. Summer, 2010 who was also a “boy toy”.

I was new at dating since my wife passed away and didn’t realize that there were women like that.

We had so much fun together.  White Sox games, concerts, bike rides to the gardens, dining downtown.  She swept me off of my feet.  I was in love and ready to quit my job and move to Chicago.

But, when school started in the fall and she went back to teaching, she no longer had time for me.  By the end of October, she told me that I was becoming a burden for her and she wanted me to leave.  So, I left.

I wonder how Mr. Summer 2012 is doing?