I Don't Think You're Applying Yourself Smokey

So I’ve been a single lady for over a year now and last night I started thinking about the different reasons people stay single. There’s the typical I’ve been hurt in the past reason, of course the I wanna play the field and explore my options reason, and the I just haven’t found the right person reason. I must admit I am afraid of getting into a relationship and my reason is sort of a hybrid of those three. I have been hurt in past relationships, but I have pretty good resilience. I pride myself on being the type of female that can distinguish the next man from the “last”. Heartbreak is never fun and it takes time to lick your wounds and get back into the game. I’m past that phase but I am cautious about repeating past mistakes, and I’m not ashamed to say that I am somewhat picky. I’m not the play the field type person, but I do like to keep my options open. I like feeling independent and unattached; the selfish side of me likes not having to be obligated to another. I have high expectations of my mate and have been called high maintenance more than once so single life allows me to relax and avoid disappointments. However those three reasons are small hurdles to overcome. Fear is usually the main reason we humans choose not to do something. Fear of getting hurt, fear of losing, fear of missing something better, fear of commitment and so on…

My biggest fear regarding getting into a relationship is laziness. When people are courting each other there’s effort put forth. You meet what I like to call “the representative”. That perfect gentleman, who opens doors, showers you with compliments and is always on their best behavior, then once you decide to commit and settle down all of that slows down and eventually stops. My mother once told me “how you get ‘em is how you keep ‘em” and when all the showering, flattery and effort stops, I’m over it. Once a guy knows that he’s “got you” he doesn’t feel the need to put in as much effort. Being the Divah that I am I love attention and a lady likes to know that she’s valued and appreciated, and if I feel less than treasured it just won’t work. I truly believe you get back what you put in and I don’t do things half heartily so I expect the same from my mate. I don’t know why being high maintenance has such a negative connotation, I’m proud to be high maintenance! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…You wouldn’t put a Chevy Cavalier engine into your Range Rover, so why should your relationship be any different.