After a break up the single most important thing are your friends. They rally around like cheerleaders at a pep rally. You take their advice as gospel. Clinging to every word and hope that they have. Making a mental list in your head so when they leave and you’re alone, you still have their words getting you through.
Your friends will pick you up, dust you off and take you out despite the fact you would rather curl up and die. They are relentless in their pursuit to cheer you up and getting you back to somewhere near normal. They are invaluable at a time like this.
Most of us have heard the usual tag lines that people say after a break-up. "There are other fish in the sea." “Take this time to find yourself." "It wasn't meant to be." "You don’t need him." These are all things that we actually really know. Yet somehow takes on different meaning when said by a friend. I mean we all know that we will eventually bounce back and go fishing for those other fish. In my case I’ve found myself, many times and in fact know what I want. We all know that if it was meant to be it'd be and we are truly better off without the person who broke our hearts. And yes in fact you will find someone who deserves you. The list goes on and on. Usually what is said is directly related to if the person is in a relationship or single themselves.
Other singles sort have a look of panic and tend to be more get up and go. Brush it off in a, you don’t need him type manner. They now realize that another line has been dropped into the fishing pond and are now after the same fish as you. Friends that are in relationships tend to look at the picture a bit bigger.
My favorite comment was said by a friend who is a mere 2 weeks older than I am, yet unlike myself in a very committed relationship. At the news of my break-up she had told me that "It's not too late." It had never dawned at me at the ripe old age of 28 that my time might be up for finding my better half. That in fact it may be too late for me. My parents had been high school sweethearts and even my younger sister and high school best friend was in a relationship. Had I indeed hit my peak? And was all I had looking forward to was awkward first dates and a life of what ifs?
Ahh, Nope. I feel that at 28 (4 days and I'll be 29) that my peak has yet to begin. My past relationships although failed as relationships, have succeeded in doing a couple of things. One help me figure out what I do want and don’t want in a relationship and two realize that its in fact NOT TOO LATE!!!

It happens to everyone (or, if not you then the person sitting beside you, co-worker, friend). Everyone at some point has been on their own bus to "Happily Ever After" with their better half when the bus abruptly pulls over and kicks them off. Now you're left in a pile of dust on the side of the road as the bus continues on its voyage, without you.

Yes, this is how felt after my recent break-up. Confused as anything as to what went wrong, how'd I end up here? More importantly what comes next? How do you suddenly switch gears from planning meals for two and vacations together to suddenly eating a single chicken breast over your kitchen sink - alone? The single world seems such a blur. How do you manage it? What is dating like?
It doen't matter how long your relationship was (okay, less than 3 weeks might matter). If you were serious, committed and had hopes set on that relationship, you're completely stunned when it ends seemingly without reason. Or at least any good reason.

Then you think of all the things that were swept under the rug, overlooked, ignored for the sake of making the relationship run smoothly. You put in more than half most of the time? You simply figure that you'll get it in return at some point. You reason with him and with yourself and can seem to come to an understanding.

Which is why when he calls it off, you wonder, why did you give so much of yourself to another relationship? Why would you ever again? The romantic in me shouts,"because it's out there, he's out there." The cynic in me says,"give up, lady. Buy a cat."

Well I'm slightly allergic to cats and I am not a quitter. However I am no dating expert either, that is clear. I consider myself and average, late-twenty something, looking for what most people are looking for, that tax credit called marriage or at least someone to cuddle with.

Hence I start my search. I'm putting myself out there. Saying 'yes' to invites I'd previously said 'no' to. Trying all the magazine pick-up lines, online dating, cruising the grocery store. Anything I can to meet him, because he is out there.

So here I go again. Trying to find him, this time armed with much more self confidence an arsenal of dating tips and a blog.