Love is a human conquest.  In my last post, I wrote about the bewildering array of choices for finding love, whether it is of the human kind or cocoa infused kind.  Although selecting chocolate is a simpler process, it is not as enduring as relationships are.  Obtaining love through on-line dating and cyberspace offers all the potential for excitement that a real mission in outer space offers.

Once the galaxies have brought forth a potential suitor, deciphering messages through Internet visuals and wording becomes the next challenge.  If the stars align, phone calls and meeting places, skyping, hyping and lots more typing come into play!  One’s life could potentially be turned into a gripping novel with page-by-page suspense unraveling each unknown.  Intrigue and mystery draws you away from the earthly plane.

The first meeting can be heavenly.  One might feel like they are actually levitating, defying gravity, and floating in space.  Your head may feel light; your thinking may be foggy and you may gasp for more oxygen.  You might even see stars even though it is the middle of the day.  Just as if you had ingested an intoxicating drug, bliss and weightlessness may overcome you.  But if the mission feels far from heavenly and more ‘appaul-ing’ than like a real ‘Apollo’ mission, bail out!  Hitch a ride back to mother earth as quick as you can and head back to the drawing board!

Life is a mission and the journey can be just as riveting as the destination.  Ensure you have enough oxygen to endure the ride.  Remember to breathe deep when the ride becomes too exhilarating.  Relax and catch your breath when needed.  The quest for love is an on-going journey and even when we have it, it is a continual process where we must work to maintain the life and energy of it.  Whether you are partnered or not, love is abound in this world.  We need to look no further than ourselves to find it.  Indulge in yourself today by doing something that you love!

In my last post, I pondered the many ways a single person could find a sweetheart.  Amongst them, I discussed on-line dating sites that offer a selection based on specific preferences.  Since we are still in the month of love and hearts, I am continuing on with that theme, pondering further the various approaches one could take to narrow down their options.  Even if you are happily coupled, you may find this amusing to read if only for the entertainment value.

Finding the perfect match is a little like going on a safari hunt.  Imagine yourself in an African jungle.  What animal would you likely mimic to reach your prey?  Would it be a giraffe, cheetah, or an elephant?  Depending on your nature, you might want to take the lofty vantage of a giraffe and survey the medley of choices from afar, before casting your looming shadow overtop it.  Or perhaps you prefer to be low down and sneaky like a cheetah and lurk invisibly out of sight before pouncing upon your target!  But if ambling or pouncing are not your style, perhaps the subtler and more direct approach of a playful young elephant appeals more to you. Maybe you will act a little flirtatious and sashay up to your target, flash your big wide elephant grin as you flutter your left ear casually, wave your nose nonchalantly to the right and then coyly introduce yourself:  “Hello, my name is Elly …  Elly Gant!”

Another strategy you might want to employ is arming yourself with some sort of sighting apparatus.  Would you choose a tiny monocular that you could discreetly hide in your vest pocket, or a full-blown telescope on wheels to zoom in on the particular features you fancy?  Perhaps you would employ none of the above and mimic no animal at all.  Perhaps you would prefer to remain as human-like as possible and swing in on a vine, scoop up your prize by surprise, and triumphantly swing back out with a call that echoes your victory!  Anything goes!

The methods for landing a catch are truly limitless and whether one chooses to rely on their instincts, apply thoughtful strategy or a bit of both, adventure is sure to unfold.  If the notion of safari hunting and cyber-dating still frightens you, perhaps you just might want to stick to more simple choices like milk chocolate, white chocolate, or dark chocolate … chocolates with nuts or ooey-gooey creams that ooze sweetness with every bite.  Indulge in your senses this month and revel in all the gifts that heart brings!

February is the month of love.  Valentines and red hearts, chocolate hearts, sweethearts, and lonely hearts.  Heart smart food, heart health, heart-to-heart talks, and hearty laughter.  There are ads galore featuring the heart this month and you don’t have to look far to find something related to it.  Love is in the air!

For those who are in the lonely hearts club and looking for a partner, the options are truly bewildering.  Even if you are happily coupled, it is an interesting phenomenon to consider.  Dating these days has evolved to a science and big business where people put their hearts on the table for prospectors and anything goes!

Our beloved little Cupid, whose arrow is always poised for action, has been replaced by plenty of fish and the likes.  Specialized dating sites have become the norm today with a myriad of options for finding someone compatible based on preferences.  You can search for environmentalists, vegetarians, pet lovers, right-winged, left-winged and no-winged people!  You can search for seniors, single parents, bookworms, outdoor enthusiasts, cougars, geeks and redheads.  There are dating clubs and services offering outdoor adventures and indoor adventures.  You can speed date or text date, on a chairlift or in a pub.   You can lunch together or have drinks together!  The choice is yours!  It is the grand smorgasbord for adventure and anything goes!

The options are simply astounding.  Pay if you wish but it’s free to fish!  (Plenty of Fish is a free on-line dating website).   You can meet a potential mate in cyberspace, outer space, a coffee place, outdoor race or indoor race.  Speed date, put out your bait, hook a mate, see how they rate, test your fate, but don’t wait – otherwise you’ll be, just another sitting duck, waiting for good luck!

Sometimes things seem worse than they really are.  This is often the case when we jump to conclusions without adequate information or research.  We might hit the panic button prematurely and bring unnecessary worry to ourselves.  That is exactly what happened when others experienced the ‘holy scale’ I wrote about in my last post.

The ‘holy scale’ is a device used by fitness studios to measure the ratio of muscle, fat, bone and water in your body.  I humorously dubbed it the ‘holy scale’ for two reasons.  One, because of its ability to reveal what is not visible to the naked eye; and two, the fact that you are required to bare your sole(s) before using it.  The resulting figures are used as benchmarks for creating personalized fitness plans to improve health and fitness levels.  I was intrigued by the machine’s capabilities and how it worked.  Fortunately, there were no concerns for me but obviously that is not the case for everyone.

I considered the potential array of outcomes including worse case scenarios.  Putting myself in that position helped me to quickly understand how easy it is to hit the panic button.  I figured that in order to maintain my senses and ease my fears, I would need to ask a lot of questions and put the situation into perspective.

If you find yourself in a similar predicament, tap into as many trustworthy sources as possible.  Put on your detective hat and seize your high-powered magnifying glass to uncover enough facts and details to satisfy your curiosity.  Talk to professionals and read unbiased articles from trusted sources.  Once you have sufficient information, you can then decide if you need to take any further action.  By following this process, you will cope better with the initial shock and be wiser for it.  In short, you will save yourself a lot of sleepless nights and have more time and energy for things you really enjoy!  Now, doesn’t that sound appealing?

Life itself provides enough stress without creating more.  Maintain a lighthearted approach to life, take everything in stride and laugh whenever you can.   Above all, keep smiling and the world will smile back at you!

I sometimes ponder the random sequence of events in life.  It seems that when you are in the flow and open to opportunities, chance events occur with one thing leading to another.  This is exactly what happened when I signed up for financial planning workshops a few months ago.  I had no idea that I would be participating in a physical fitness assessment as a result of this.  Staying open to the flow makes life very interesting and brings an air of adventure as well.  This reminds me of one of my favourite storybook characters from childhood – Curious George, the ever inquisitive little monkey who mastered the art of adventure!

As I stood waiting for my fitness assessment to begin, I surveyed the many different types of apparatus surrounding me.  One in particular intrigued me, as I am sure it would have intrigued Curious George.  It looked like an elaborate bathroom scale with metal plates and retractable handles.  This machine was going to be my very first test.  I was asked to remove my shoes and socks and step onto the metal plates while taking hold of the handles.  I envisioned a surge of electrical energy channelling through my body as the machine was turned on and braced myself for it, but thankfully there was no sensation, not even the slightest buzz.  The only shock I felt was from stepping onto the cold metal plates with my bare soles.  The machine flashed a series of numbers revealing not only my weight, but also the percentages of my body fat and water, muscle and bone mass.  I took a deep breath as I stepped off of the scale, feeling like I had just completed my first test for the next mission in space.  T-minus 10 and counting.  I mentally prepared myself for the results.

You will be glad to know that I almost qualify for a launch into the stratosphere!  The scale alone did not reveal this but further tests involving my flexibility and endurance levels led to this conclusion.  As it turns out, I am in a healthy range for most everything except for my torso strength and arm flexibility.  This means I have to work on my abdominal and back muscles and that I cannot juggle bananas behind my back!  “Lucky George”, I think to myself.  Not only does he have limber limbs to juggle bananas and swing between trees, he also has a firm and fit torso.  There is no tree that I wish to train from at this time in my life but I think the inventors of monkey bars and jungle gyms had a brilliant idea when they created them for children.  Could it be that monkeys are the foremost scientist of our world?  I wonder what advice Curious George would give me for managing my finances.  Perhaps he would suggest that I make paper boats out of all of my bank statements and watch them float down a river!