MeganCarson.com

Only once have I been recognized as “that girl who wrote that book on blind dating”.  It was in early June while shopping at one of the classiest places in town: Wal Mart.

I was having some girls over for dinner and wanted to grab a few last minute items.  A can of re-fried beans, six pack of Bud Light Lime, tortilla chips and salsa.  It was also the end of the school year and I needed some school supplies for a project.  Add construction paper, 2 bags of candy and markers and I headed to the express lane.

While unloading my items at the checkout, a middle-aged man next to me says, “You’re a teacher, huh?” I turn around, a little surprised and mutter, “Yeah, I am.”

“How’d you know?” I ask.

“Construction paper, beer, markers.  Typical teacher purchases.” He says with a smile.  While I did not agree (beer?) I laughed and then witnessed his expression change from friendly to a look of shock.

“Oh. My. Gosh. It’s you!” he shouts.

I panic.  Do I know this person?  I search into the recesses of my brain and can’t come up with anything.  I tell this stranger to hold on for a second while I finish my purchase.  I really want to disappear, but a small part of my curiosity is peaked.

He waits for me at the end of the checkout lane.

We small chat for a bit and then he says, “You’re that girl who wrote that book on blind dating.  I read about you in the newspaper.”

I let out a nervous laugh.  “Yeah, that’s me.” And I know without a doubt what the next question is going to be.

“So have you found the one?”

Bingo.

“Nope, not yet.”

He follows with, “so when can I take you out?”

I am flattered, and if this man was closer to my age and did not have kids in college, I might have considered going out with him, but I felt we did not have much common ground.  So I quickly thought of an excuse.

“Sorry, but I am dating someone and he lives out of state.”

WHAT?

I most certainly am not dating someone.  I have no idea why I said I was.  I also have no idea why I decided that this faux beau should live out of state.

“Well that will never work,” he politely adds.

Thanks for the unsolicited advice, SIR!

Why do you care, Megan?  He’s commenting on your IMIGINARY relationship!!

“I guess I’ll just have to wait and see,” I say and head to my car.

Not really the glamorous moment of recognition I imagined in my head.  Wal Mart?  Re-fried beans and beer? Bold faced lies?

Oh well, at least for a moment I was in a relationship and able to answer the dreaded “have you found the one” question with something other than “no”!

Symptoms include:
Boredom.
Frustration.
Indifference.
Guilt.
Disappointment.
Lack of Inspiration.

Remedies Include:
Time off.
Vacation.
Sleep.
Laughter.
Food.
Drink.

For those of you who have been following my blog, even in my absence, I am making a slow return to the blog world.

For you bloggers out there: What do you do when you’ve caught the “blog bug” and lack inspiration?

I’ve always joked that I would be open to an arranged marriage.  Actually…I use the word “joke”, but in reality, I’m not joking at all.  I am quite serious.  Sometimes I think my family could do a better job picking a man for me than I can for myself.  Other times I just want a break from dating/screening men and would like someone else to take over for a while.

However, I don’t see this ever really working.  The road block: finding a man who would be open to being arranged to me, or arranged in general.

But in some cultures and religions arranged marriage is the only option for many women.  While most would use terms like old fashioned, antiquated and even oppressive to describe arranged marriage, for some it’s both the norm and embraced.

I recently watched a film on this very subject called Arranged.  I HIGHLY recommend it.  The film is centered around Rachel and Nasira who are teachers at a public school in NYC.  Rachel is an Orthodox Jew and Nasira is Muslim.  These women seem to have little in common, but as the story progresses they discover they are both in the beginning stages of the process leading to arranged marriage.  The result is a movie that is engaging and endearing.  Check it out!

This weekend at a wedding I met a comptroller.  I had to ask him what that means (he’s a CFO).  He is newly married to one of my dear friends and they met…drumroll please…on the Internet.

I asked him what it was that attracted him to his now wife when he first saw her profile.  He said when looking at each profile he looked for 5 key components and she had each one.  As he was talking I pulled out my phone to start taking some notes…

Here are his 5 Key Components.

1. Character
2. Beauty
3. Femininity/Tenderness/Sweetness
4. Athleticism
5. Intelligence

These are his top 5 of many things he was looking for, but they served as his tool for screening the hundreds of matches he received.

I thought all of them were great.  With online dating it can be so overwhelming trying to figure out who you should and should not contact.  Having a succinct list to help you is not a bad idea.  You know how much I love lists, so if I ever again use the Internet for dating, I’ll be sure to take the comptroller’s advice!

It’s true.  I am one.  But I would like to think I am not your typical Daddy’s Girl.

Yes, I adore my Dad and think he hung the moon.

Yes, he’s always called me “Princess” (save 2 years in jr. high when I boldly told him that he was no longer allowed to call me that because it was embarrassing to me.)

Yes, He’s always taken good care of me.

And yes, he’s spoiled me.  But not with stuff.

And that’s what makes me an a-typical Daddy’s Girl.

Instead of stuff, He’s spoiled me with…

Love:  He tells me every time he see me that he loves me.  Every time.

Confidence:  He tells me he’s proud of me.  Sometimes he’ll just call and leave a quick voicemail to let me know how proud he is of me.

Encouragement: He’s shown me that with hard work I can accomplish much.  He’s quite the cheerleader.

Respect: He respects my ideas and opinions and beliefs. Even when we disagree (which is not all that often, thankfully).

Experiences:  He’s taken me to the Final Four, a few US Open tournaments (golf), the World Series, Antarctica, but more importantly to my basketball practices, church on Sunday and annual shopping trips for Mom’s Christmas gifts (normally on the 23rd or 24th).

Education:  He encouraged me to go to a good college and not let my academics get in the way of my education.

Legacy: He’s leaving a legacy of the importance of putting Christ first in life as well as family and others.

Character:  He does the right thing and when he doesn’t he admits he’s wrong.

So yes, I am a Daddy’s Girl and proud of it.  He’s set the bar high!

I love you, Dad!

P.S.  You’d be so proud.  I wrote this post while watching the last few holes of this year’s US OPEN.  Thanks for instilling a love of sports in my life.  Here’s to finding you a 4th in 2010:)