So this is mostly for
@SnowblindNYR but just to close out a loop from the beginning of this thread and just pass on information/experiences/etc.
I had mentioned having a friend on the other side of the country who I had hoped to visit and see if there was anything there. We've been friends a very long in a larger social group, a lot in common, etc. you know, there was always this "will they, won't they?" among our bigger group of friends (two friends have always said us ending up together is the perfect tv ending kinda like that show Friends). Not close like we talk every week just always very serious yet at the same time funny conversations we just pick up on, any time we're in the others town we always make it a point to see each other, all that.
Well last month I just said eff it and told her "hey how would you feel if I come visit you?" And after an enthusiastic yes, for the first time since pandemic I left this area and got to spend a few days with her in her turf and the short answer is: nope, we have no future together. Although we're friends that's pretty much as far as it will go. Now that it's out there, that friendship is definitely damaged and probably either done or distant. Like I don't think either of us will pick up the phone and just text/talk for a long time, if ever. Stuff happens.
The point of posting this is not to vilify her, gain sympathy, etc., just more so a few points:
-Attraction much like drafting NHL players is not an exact science. You could be the most compatible people in the world and have the same values but at the end of the day, two people need to have it equally or it's not going to work. I have worked my ass off getting in the best shape of my life (looking like Henry Rollins in his Black Flag days) but she does not feel that attraction to me regardless of how much I'm benching, squatting, and of course my bread and butter...running.
-Keep stacking the prospect pipeline: I basically took myself off the grid during pandemic and while some people could say you "put all you eggs in one basket" I view it not so much as that, but as a reset and I had the opportunity to finish off a very long ongoing story in my life. Regardless, keep your options open because things change.
-It's easier to meet new people than keep working on old situations: once again while we've known each other and been friends for a long time, there was definitely an attraction/interest from me more so than her. I was never really a "main guy" in her world even in the greater social group and there was a lot of baggage between our friends and individually we both have been dealing with especially the last five years. A lot of my growth as a person health wise, career wise, etc. jut didn't register with her. We even independently have ambitions to move to the same town (everyone on this board knows I'm over NY lol) and a lot of that conversation she really wasn't digging on the trip/career progression/etc.
It's also ok to take yourself off the grid/out of the game for a bit. That's what I'll be doing probably the rest of the year. When I came back, it was definitely a deflating feeling because I've really liked her for a very long time, so my diet and fitness have went to shit the last few weeks. So now yes while some people will say "man up, get over it, it was a longshot anyway" as a general rule if you're not having success, get rejected, dumped, I'll even throw out the "friend zone" thing yet many of my more progressive female friends have argued it's a biased and sexist term, call a time out and do other stuff.
I've always been more about trying to hit a home run in relationships then just casually date and get to know someone (aka find someone great who I'm interested in not only looks wise but intellectually and hobby wise; basically someone who is driven, a little nerdy, and adventurous). It hasn't worked and I'm in my late-30s so it's clearly time to try something different....after the time out and getting my shit together. I'm not looking to try and date for at least the next 6-8 weeks minimum. It'll be a fun fall with Oktoberfest, weddings, hockey back soon (as NY sports fans we need it because let's be real, football season is already over as neither the Giants/Jets are doing anything this year), and there is one trip I might do which will make everyone on this board be impressed (hockey related). Plus the work is there, still more room for career growth, and the gym and track remain.