OlderAndWiser

"Closure" is a frequently used term but I'm not sure we all mean the same thing when we say it. For me, closure means hearing an explanation, having a a chance to ask questions and seek clarification, ending with no questions unanswered. As I have gotten older, that version of "closure" has...

I have never said "I love you" when I did not consciously mean it, but I have said "I love you" when what I was feeling was some affection and excitement, but not love. In retrospect, I probably should not have said "I love you" to maybe half of these women. My history: (I am using initials to...

If you have never been the victim of a cheating partner, you'll probably understand this MyTake on an intellectual level, but if you have every discovered that your partner has cheated, this will most likely resonate with you on an emotional level. I have been a victim of cheating twice, so what...

When I began college, I wanted to be a music major. My choices were performance/piano or conducting. My parents were against those choices, so I was "steered" into a safer direction and eventually became a lawyer. I love practicing law, but every time I attend a symphony concert, I wonder if I...

If I ask you to list the bad qualities of your worst-ever relationship, you could probably identify at least ten things that he or she did that drove you crazy. I could certainly give you a laundry list of outstandingly bad qualities of my worst relationship, and you would be asking, "OAW, how...

When I was 63, I was invited to a Christmas party in a condo at Jacksonville Beach and almost everyone in attendance was fairly affluent. I am not a rich man but I wasn't uncomfortable with that crowd. I met a woman from Germany - Ingrid - who had been in the US for many years, was a US...

There is an essential aspect of communications that young people overlook because of a horrible assumption that they make. Most young people looking for a partner rely on texting to communicate and that can be a fatal mistake in a relationship. They assume that texting is what is expected and...

Not many couples actually put on boxing gloves and spar or "duke it out," but most couples recognize the feeling in this picture. Sometimes, your partner says or does something that is SO stupid, SO crazy, SO wrong that you just CAN'T ignore it. (At least it seems to be stupid, crazy, or wrong...

This MyTake was inspired by a question recently posted by @AnnaTumbles: What first date tips do you wish everyone knew? First, why is a 67 year-old dude giving advice about dating? Because I have been dating, or in relationships, for 50 years and I have been on HUNDREDS of first dates. And -...

Based on the 2020 US Census, "the U.S. is now 57.8% white , 18.7% Hispanic, 12.4% Black and 6% Asian." https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/08/12/how-2020-census-change-how-we-look-america-what-expect/5493043001/ Examples of racial composition at traditional state universities:...

Have you complained to whoever will listen that your relationship seems to be one-sided and you usually give more than you take? There are probably 3 billion people on this planet in relationships and probably all 3 billion have had that complaint at some time. In 2015, I started dating a lady...

I have a smartphone (soon to be replaced with a S21 5G.) I use WhatsApp and Skype. I send text messages almost every day. So, I'm not really a total dinosaur! But I don't send many text messages to my girlfriend. That's because I do a much better job of communicating with her: when we need to...

I received my BS degree from FSU in 1975 and my law degree from FSU in 1986. I love my alma mater and I am quite proud to have two degrees from such a great school. I recently asked whether it is racist for FSU to use the Seminoles as their "mascot." Is it racist for FSU to have the Seminoles as...

When our Constitution was drafted, adopted, and ratified, the Framers had a conception of a free press as being an absolutely essential component of democracy. Unfettered by government regulation and control, the press could tell the people the truth about current events. That's vitally...

I was born into a Christian family and I attended church to the age of 16. That's when I left home and moved 350 miles away to begin college. Like many young people, I went through a few decades of not attending church and questioning my Christian beliefs, but I never actually rejected those...

About five years ago, a young user - CheerGirl - suggested to me that, on New Year's Eve, I should empty out the list of all the users I had blocked over the preceding year. I have averaged blocking perhaps 20 users per year, generally because they were political extremists who wanted to rail...

My experience online. I have significant experience with online dating. I began in 2007, after ending a long term relationship that was - obviously - a mistake. I signed up on match.com and POF. I met two women who were attractive and exotic (Oksana is from the Ukraine, and Joni is from Brazil)...

This morning, I discovered a post in which I was tagged and I had not responded. @vladikre posted: "@OlderAndWiser. We had a discussion and I said that after the first date, I wait a week max to send or contact, cause I try to build interest. I state that I don't play games and that's what I...