The Eleventh Hour

I officially canceled my online dating membership. Really, I did it right this time -- I got my confirmation number for the cancellation and everything. (Trust me, I triple checked!) So 6 months, 5,923 profile views, and $100 in membership fees later -- was it worth it? I think so. And I'd venture to say that I'd actually recommend it to friends. Here are a few reasons why:

Just do it.
Getting back into dating after a long-term relationship is like standing on the edge of an unheated pool after you've just spent 20 minutes in the hot tub. You know you can jump in, but the anticipated shock of the temperature change makes you temporarily forget that you know how to swim. Nevermind if the guys you meet online are duds, at least going out to meet someone for dinner or drinks can rebuild your comfort level with meeting new people and actually getting to talk about what makes you, you.

Everyone's "man criteria" list needs refinement.
A few years ago my old roommate and I started our own "man criteria" lists to help keep ourselves more accountable to what we were really looking for in a companion (and to curb the dating out of boredom situations). It was really helpful; we created our lists and then marked things as non-negotiable and negotiable. With online dating, I've been able to mentally re-prioritize what qualities I think are important, add things I hadn't previously considered, and take away things that were just kind of stupid. I was even able to think about what I needed personally out of a relationship and that helped clarify things too. Every single woman should try doing this.

You're not the only one.
It's been 7 months since my ex and I parted ways, I would be totally lying if I said I've never missed him. Sure, this whole online dating thing has done a great job of keeping me entertained, but there have been some tough moments when I just felt lonely. That's it - just all out lonely. And when I was reading through all those guys' profiles online, I realized that all those guys are lonely too -- and we're all looking for the same things, someone who we can be good to, someone who is good to us, someone who makes us smile when no one else is around, someone who still thinks we're hot when we wake up with a zit the size of Mt. Everest, and someone whose hugs make all bad things disappear and all good things memorable.