I was putting in my contact lenses the other morning – a process that I usually complete in about 90 seconds – but ran into problems. By the time I got both lenses successfully applied to my eyes, I’d spent five minutes. This experience was what I refer to as contact lens “adventure”.
As anyone who has ever worn contact lenses (or attempted to wear them) knows, there will be adventures. Most adventures happen when you’re new to the art of installing and removing those tiny, thin, slippery plastic discs from your eyes. But even after you’ve mastered the art, you will – without any warning whatsoever – have more of them.
There are mornings when you seem to be all thumbs and can’t seem to hit your target. You aim for your eye, blink, and find the lens on the tip of your nose, the crest of your cheek, the edge of your chin or on the front of your shirt. There are times when the lens lands in the sink and has to be rinsed off again. There are times when it lands in the sink and (gasp!) slides right down the drain, which is an affront to both your wallet and your self-esteem. There are times when you aren’t sure if the lens is in your eye or not. To find out for sure, you ask someone to look for you. Doing so brings the two of you very close but in an awkward sort of way. Sometimes the search for an errant lens brings you to your knees to grope the floor for the pesky prism. There are times when a lens simply goes AWOL. It leaves no trace and no forwarding address. You may find it later in the day curled up and crispy in some unlikely place. On the other hand, you may never see it again.
My adventure the other morning prompted me to recall some of my earlier contact lens adventures. As I reminisced, it hit me that adventures with contact lenses are in many ways similar to dating adventures.
When you’re dating, things may go well. But, then again, things may not go well. From time to time, you may get punched in the nose, take it on the chin, get very close but in an awkward sort of way or have someone go AWOL on you. Sometimes it will cost you money, and sometimes the ending of a dating relationship will bring you to your knees. Any and all of these things are more likely to happen the newer you are to dating and the less you know about how it all works. But even after you’ve mastered the art of dating, you will still be subject to having adventures from time to time. Because that is how it works.
To minimize the number of negative dating adventures you have, you can study up on the art of dating by talking with others, reading, and attending workshops and classes.
Another good strategy for coping with dating adventures is simple to not take the adventures or yourself too seriously. Adventures happen from time to time. And there is nothing you can do to change that fact. You can, however, learn to laugh – at yourself, your dates, and the silly and wonderful process we call dating.