The magic started on a Friday in Atlanta. My sleep is always a little unpredictable when I’m traveling, and I didn’t roll out of bed until 12:30 p.m. I headed to my favorite local buffet specifically to hit the salad bar. While I was waiting in line, two friends approached me. One of them looked at me, completely unprompted, and said I was beautiful and that I had pretty toes. Look at God!
There is a specific kind of intoxication that comes when you re-enter the dating world with a healed heart. You’re feeling good, your body looking like tea, and your capacity for joy is wide open. But I had to learn a hard lesson recently: Just because a man has the charm to grab your attention doesn’t mean he has the integrity to hold your space.
I have realized that my heart, the very center of my desire, has the amazing capacity to recognize beauty in more than one mirror. I find myself in a season I never expected: navigating deep feelings while standing firmly on newly discovered ground. This wasn’t a planned destination; I didn’t set out to audition hearts or be out here all in my feels. But here we are! As a woman who has been refined by the scorching fires of two divorces, I have realized that healing doesn't make your heart smaller—it makes it more discerning.
If you had told me at the beginning of this year that I’d be simultaneously navigating 10 Jerry Springer Show seasons worth of dating apps, receiving apology tours from exes a decade late, and coaching my own dear mother through her dating life, I’d be your indentured servant for a month! But here we are, and the streets are making my edges thin.