The Art of Dating

Sis,

Do men still complain about the cost of dating these days? This thought came to me last week because if you follow me online, I have been outside a lot these days. From art galleries to music events, I have been going out and enjoying myself. All of the events I have been to lately have been free and several have even had free alcohol as well. This is why the question of complaining about the cost of dates came to mind for me recently. I have been married for almost nine years and one thing my husband and I have been big on since day one is continuing to have fun and date each other.

With us, we've always prioritized dating, but dates do not have to be expensive. In the earliest years of us being together, we used Groupon frequently to try new places in Greensboro and Raleigh. We were two people in our twenties still trying to figure out life, but in the midst of us trying to figure out life, we made spending time a priority. Spending time together never has to cost a lot of money. One of our favorite dates til this day is going to the movies on Tuesdays because Regal has Discount Tuesdays. Plus, we look for new experiences like, No Skips, that we recently went to, which was such a dope music experience and it was completely free.

New experiences are out there if you're willing to look for them. That's what this month's reflection is really centered on. New experiences do not have to be costly. While we love going going out together, I have embraced doing more things solo. In the last couple of months, I have gone out to coffee shops to get work done, a local networking event for women and even shot content solo. Going to the networking event alone felt a little awkward, but I pushed myself to go, I met several great women from the area and in the end, I was glad that I went.

If I can leave you with something, I want to leave this... Date yourself and date your person. Look for more in this life and be willing to try new things. I grew up in a household where a lot of the people around me placed limitations on themselves due to religion as well as what I feel were their own fears. Because of this, I lived in a lot of fear of doing new things until my mid-twenties. Something clicked in me one day that I knew there was more to this life and this world than what I'd seen and I wanted to explore more of it.

I want that for everyone around me. I want you to want more. What more is will be different for everyone, but I want you to know that you don't have to ever limit yourself. Also, don't limit yourself due to money. Being an entrepreneur like I am often places me on a budget, but I don't let that limit me or my experiences. I find events that are free and I go out there. I hope this will encourage you to go out there too sis.