And this, then, is why you haven’t seen a ‘Reality Check’ lately

I’ve been putting this off for a while now, but eventually I’m going to have to bite the bullet and get it over with. So here goes.

Some of you have written asking why my column hasn’t appeared recently in either the print or online editions. The answer is actually pretty personal, but you, dear reader, have stuck with me through the years and I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the issue.

A while back, The Lovely Mrs. Taylor, while remaining lovely, decided – just short of our 15th anniversary – that she no longer wished to be Mrs. Taylor. The details aren’t important; the point is she moved out with the dog, cat, her teacup collection and half the photo albums.

I know, I know; I was surprised as well.

It has taken me some time to come to grips with the situation and I don’t know if I’ll ever be completely “over it.” But I have made up my mind to move on. As any of you who have been through this personally already know, this is easier said than done.

At first there were all the little things I had to get used to. For instance, all household chores now fall to me. Everything from the laundry to the dishes to vacuuming up the spilled seed from beneath the bird cage … if I don’t do it, it don’t get done. The Laundry Fairy has left the building.
Then there’s the empty house; I’m still not used to that. The silence. The way the hours seem to stretch on into forever some days. The list goes on, but it all pretty much reads like a bad country and western song and I have nothing new to add to that gloomy litany.

But the hardest part has come only recently, since I’ve begun “dating” again. Now, I haven’t dated in nearly three decades and I stunk at it even back then. It would be a gross understatement to say that – when it comes to romancing a stranger – I am out of practice.

Since I work in large part from home, I meet very few eligible ladies. Those I do meet are work-related encounters – interviews, photo shoots, and so on. Not exactly a quiet, candlelit dinner with a nice Bordeaux and intimate conversation punctuated by soft violin music.

So I decided to move my search for female companionship into the 21st Century by going online. Yeah, I know there’s a certain stigma about online dating services, but it beats sitting around waiting for Princess Charming to find me.

In the weeks since posting my profile, I’ve met a few nice girls and talked with them via email and over the phone. I’ve even met a couple face to face. So far nothing’s “clicked,” but at least I’m out there giving it a shot.

I’ve got to admit, it still feels weird to me. Real weird. But it’s something to do, and right now, that’s a good thing.

More importantly, it’s given me something to write about. In the weeks ahead, I plan to address the whole middle-aged dating thing in more detail. The topic worked for Carrie Bradshaw in “Sex in the City,” yeah?

So who knows? This could be the start of something wonderful.

As always, I remain hopeful.


Missed a week? More “Reality Check” online at http://mtrealitycheck.blogspot.com or www.milive.com. E-mail Mike Taylor at mtaylor325@gmail.com.