Back to Reality

That post Yom Tov feeling. Unpopular opinion? I kind of love it. It's like the first day of school for grown ups. New year, new chances, and the sneaking suspicion that this is your year. As I have mentioned on this blog, someone has said that to me every year for the last 7 years. Those years were, in fact, my years, in that during them I lived fully for 365 (or 366 days) other than during Corona when I took naps 90% of the day and then did puzzles and watched Tiger King at 2 am.

We've all been there.

But now that The Archer has returned from her sabbatical of dipping apples in honey and smacking herself on the chest and having other people invade her nice outdoor reading space, it's time to go back to the list.

Long time readers, you know to which list I am referring.

It's got 50 names on it, and earlier posts will tell you how I curate and keep all the information I need. The boys I've dated. Aptly named "To All The Boys I've Loved Before."

Our last check in on my past triumphs and follies was here https://www.thearcher13.com/post/phone-tag

As you can see in that article I covered boys #13 and #15. So #14 will get his turn here and we'll move to sweet sixteen.

But readers.

I'm a little stuck here because boy #14 married a friend.

It's not the first time. Boys #1 and #3 married casual acquaintances of mine. Boys #27 and #33 married people I kind of know through friends.

But #14 is the one where I have to stop and be sure I am being kind because he is married to a friend of mine.

By the way-nothing bad to say about him. It wasn't a good fit so it was awkward. That's fine. That happens.

But AS YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED I like to take those little awkward things and make them dramatic. I make them into stories. Blog posts for the world to read. And I can't with this one, because he married a friend.

Uh oh, I just realized something.

Is every guy I dated married to someone's friend? Or is someone's son or brother? Oh noooooo.

You know when people (politicians) say things like "I hate it when little girls get stabbed 27 times in the woods because I have a daughter" and its like you should really hate that even if you have sons or chose not to have children or are a llama. Everyone should be on board with hating that.

But now suddenly I'm that politician realizing that every guy I dated, no matter how terrible they were to me, is someone to someone. Perhaps not someone I know. But someone.

I started this blog because I had many feelings I wanted to lift from my chest and expose to the world. But sitting down to write about #14 has brought me back to reality. Yes, I still plan to lampoon most of my experiences.

But we are all someone to someone and everyone should be on board that nobody should ever get stabbed in the woods.

As an archer I like to attack. It's nice to see that I can put my arrow down, if only for one experience, and say "this one is not for fun making. "

So after that session of chest thumping I think we really are back to reality.