Flirting 101: The Crazies

I have a love/hate relationship with the beginnings of a courtship; the period often referred to as ‘the crush’ is just that: potentially crushing.  On the up side, there are butterflies, giddiness, and a general feeling of possibility that leaves you on a high; on the down side, you're dealing with a mess of symptoms that I like to refer to as ‘the crazies.'

Crazy Symptom #1: Loss of Focus

Under normal circumstances, I am a relatively focused and driven individual; when a case of the crush crazies kicks in, I become a child with ADD
...trying to be productive
...in a room with shiny objects, a live elephant, and a personal ice cream chef.
In short, I simply can’t focus on anything.

Sure, I still get stuff done, but I officially have boys on the brain 24/7.  Even as I type this, there's a roster of cute boys running through my head...and a live elephant in my living room.

Crazy Symptom #2: Jealousy

I can honestly say that I am NOT a jealous girlfriend.  I don't put up with jealousy in my boyfriends and I don't expect them to put up with it in me.  If you don't trust a person, you shouldn't be dating them.  That being said, I DO get jealous during the crush.  I think it's because, during that period, you never quite know where you stand.

But jealousy is a pointless emotion: there's nothing you can do to change a person's feelings about you [or about anyone else].  My only suggestion: just remember that if they can't see how fabulous you are on their own, they're really not worth the stress you're putting into getting jealous.

Now would someone please tattoo that backwards on my forehead so that I'LL remember it?

Crazy Symptom #3:  Neediness

I can play the game as cool as a cucumber until I actually admit that I have a crush on someone.  Up until that point it's 'flirting,' it's 'friendship,' it's 'fun'...whatever, but the second I realize it's developed into a 'crush,' my insecurity light begins to flash.  I hate feeling needy, mostly because I know I'm pretty independent, so when my personality decides to do a bit of a 180 without my permission, I get a little perturbed.  I find myself saying the phrase 'I am NOT this girl' quite often when I have a crush, but when you're acting like a crazy person already, it's hard for people to believe you.

I have no easy advice for this symptom, I'm still trying to figure it out myself.  For now, here's my remedy: hide your phone, stop your cyber-stalking, and hop into a warm bath with a good book...but maybe that's just what works for me.

Dear readers: I promise to at least partly recover my together, independent demeanor before my next blog post; until then, enjoy the fact that no one has this stuff figured out...but I'll stumble thru it with you if you let me.
♥