See You in Another Life

by Gwen Cooper — October 26, 2007

Just shy of 100 of these blog entries (this one's number 97, for those of you keeping score at home), I bid farewell to the world of dating bloggery. Robert's officially moving in next weekend, and it's hard to justify what I'll be doing at that point as "dating." So this will be my last entry.

If it's true that life is a journey and not a destination, blogging about dating and relationships has definitely been one of the more interesting parts of that journey for me—both as a dater and as a blogger. So, in my last blog, I wanted to revisit what were for me some of the highlights and...um...lowlights of keeping this blog.

The Best of Blogging:

1. My blog entry about my blind cat, Homer, which was such a breakout hit that it's inspired the proposal for the next book I hope to write, which my agent will start shopping around next month. It's currently titled HOMER'S ODYSSEY: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF AN EYELESS WONDERCAT. If it ends up being available in bookstores in a year or so, remember—you heard it here first!
2. Blogging about my worst ex-boyfriend and hearing from so many supportive readers who'd been through similarly abusive, and just plain bad, experiences. There's probably nothing that happens to any of us that hasn't already happened to many others, but it's still always affirming to learn that you're not alone.
3. Getting to examine my life and relationships from a more critical perspective. It's easy to get so caught up in the day-to-day of your own life that you stop thinking about what it means or where it's going. But when you have to write about your relationships three times a week, believe me—you start thinking about it MUCH more carefully!

The Worst of Blogging:

1. The same as Number 3 above. It may be true that the unexamined life isn't worth living, but the flip side is that examining your own life all the time—and really having to think about why you do some of the bone-headed things you do—can make you want to shoot yourself in the head on occasion.
2. Laying your most personal "issues" open to the public, and having the public respond with what are sometimes less-than-supportive responses. As a person who usually writes fiction, I've gotten quite comfortable having the buffer of characters between myself and the judgment of the cold, cruel world. There's something liberating about laying your deepest, darkest secrets out there for the world to read, but it's frequently a terrifying experience as well.
3. Getting up at 6:00 in the morning three times a week to think of something to say about dating! Okay, seriously, it's hard trying to come up with something new and interesting to say three times a week, every week. This shit doesn't write itself, you know!

And that's it. I wish all of you who've been reading the very best that the world holds when it comes to life, love, and relationships. See you in another life...