So there is nothing like a scented candle, a blanket, a cuddling cat and a laptop on your lap to help you feel warm on a cold rainy night. Well, heat in the house works too. But that's not the point. It is also warming to the heart and soul to chat with friends that are far away on said laptop.
What did we ever do before the Internet? Oh, I know, we would sit and talk on the phone for hours and then mom and dad would yell at us for tying up the line or running up a huge phone bill. I remember running up a huge phone bill in college one semester, because I would talk to a friend in Raleigh for extended periods of time. That was during the pre-cell phone era and I had no idea it was considered a long distance call from Chapel Hill to Raleigh. Let's just say that after that month, my parents made me start paying my own phone bill. And I had to learn how to limit my phone calls. But that was about the time that this thing called email was starting to take shape and I learned how to use it.
Well, with cell phones nowadays, there really isn't a need for long distance worries. Most of us have nationwide calling plans and I don't even have a home phone line. Plus with online chatting sites, Skype and other computer options, you don't even have to have a phone to communicate. I guess, you don't even have to talk either.
As long as you can type, you can communicate. Well, even if you can't type, you can still communicate. Maybe just not as well.
Which leads me to something that I have learned during this whole online dating thing. Communication is key. When a relationship starts out via email, instant messaging and text messaging, you tend to "talk" about a lot of different things and you can cover a lot of ground. I think by communicating in multiple platforms, you have the ability to be more honest (or you can hide behind it too - which I learned from one match.) But overall, I think that it allows yourself to be more up front and gives you the ability to cover a wide range of topics.
Plus true and real communication shows your personality and allows you to be yourself.
That is what I was able to do with most of the guys that I "met" online. And that is exactly the way my relationship with Match #5 started.
We started my exchanging emails, then text messages and then we met in person. And the conversations have just flowed from there. We still email each other every day, sometimes more then once and can sit and talk for extended periods of time.
We can talk about anything and everything. And that has helped us build a solid base to our relationship.
So lesson learned. One way to learn how to live, laugh and love all over again is to start by communicating. You never know where the conversation may lead.
