This week we have an old friend getting back on the dating radar again! Plus, there are tips to be content with yourself and being happy at the same time. Check it out…

I’m sure you guys know that Steve is back on the dating scene! After his date fiasco with Chloe, the conversation hijacker, Steve is a little dejected about getting to it again. We had a tough time convincing him that girls do look for geeks to date. Then he had this problem about expecting a little too much from his dates. Megan explained that dates do not always mean that you meet your life partner on the very first attempt! We can also date with the singular idea of meeting new people and socializing. In fact, I know many who are on the dating circuit only to meet someone interesting. Who knows where a conversation or a casual chat can lead you? It’s not always the altar that you have to head to.

Adrian urged Steve to date outside his level of comfort. Adrian pointed out that when we date like-minded people, we are less likely to find something interesting. I agree with Adrian here. There’s no fun being with someone whose tastes match with yours to the T. There are more fireworks when you don’t agree on things. For example, Sarah has completely different tastes in music and movies as opposed to mine. We fight a lot to establish whose tastes are more refined! These tiffs are part of the relationship and they always leave you with a smile on your face. I would always advocate you to date interesting people, rather than someone who matches your wavelength.

Rachael is going through some emotional turmoil these days. That is expected in the angst-ridden teenage days. Her relationship with Charlie is not doing as well as she would have wanted it to be. But the cause of her concern is her friend circle. Rachael is not connecting well with her friends these days. It’s like this disconnect that Rachael can’t figure out and yet it is there. Hanging out isn’t that much fun for her anymore. Remember I wrote a couple of weeks back that Liz was trying to make Rachael take it easy? When Rachael looked up from her books and projects to turn to her friends, she found that they have walked different paths in the meantime and there seems to be no common ground for them to talk about.

Liz is trying to make Rachael understand that life is not always the way we want it to be. Rachael also feels that there are many things that is beyond her. Liz is explaining her that we are all gifted in our own way. If you guys have gone through similar anxiety pangs when you felt that others are more lucky or get away with the privileges better than you do, you can identify with this. I firmly believe that you can always be a better you, but you can never be someone else. We are all gifted uniquely and it would be foolish to blame ourselves for not being able to do something that others can do. Better be your own friend and explore things in a different light.

Rick and Kaitlin have buried their differences as of now. If you remember, Kaitlin was talking with an ex on a social networking site. That drove Rick up the wall. Actually he could have taken it well if it was some other guy. Kaitlin had some really special equation with this ex. The most vulnerable point of Rick’s insecurity is that Kaitlin and this ex broke up because of differences other than relationship troubles. So Kaitlin doesn’t hold any grudges against this guy. Rick feels that if Kaitlin continues talking to this guy, it could make their relationship brittle. A guy who has your girlfriend’s confidence and trust can be dangerous for anyone, and more if that guy happens to be an ex!

Kaitlin, on her part, is very clear about the status of that relationship. Kaitlin made it ample clear to Rick that there’s nothing in that old flame for her. Rick believes that but there is that gnawing sense of jealousy that is stopping him from seeing reason. Kaitlin assured him that if they could not make their relationship a success, it would only be because of them and not someone outside. This calmed Rick down for some time. But Kaitlin knew that Rick would not be totally comfortable unless he knew that Kaitlin was not in touch with her ex anymore. Kaitlin has decided to do just that. There seems to be no point in squandering away what you have for something that was there but won’t return to comfort her in any way.

We all know how, but we are forgetting to apply the simple ways in which you can be happy. In fact, when I look at people around me, I find that they are trying not to be sad. Very few are actually trying to be happy. If you listen to Eleanor, you will definitely do better with your stress levels than what you are doing now. Eleanor believes in taking pleasure in simple things that life offers us. “Because miracles don’t happen everyday, you have to find a miracle in everyday incidents!” is how Eleanor explained it. According to her, it’s just a state of the mind. Eleanor added, “Be happy with what you have got instead of wanting more all the time!” I think that is the primary cause of unhappiness for many. We have to stop wanting and start enjoying what we already have.

Eleanor says that we need to learn to find happiness within. A simple way to do that is to be thankful. Now that is one point which finds me on the same page with her. I also admit that I don’t say “thank you” enough. I think the biggest thank you should go to all of you guys. The support and the encouragement that I get from you people are beyond my comprehension. I feel happy about writing these newsletters because I know that on the other end of this digital medium, I have you guys who read and appreciate what I write. That is a big high for me and keeps me going even when the chips are down. If I’m to follow Eleanor’s words of advice, I should express gratefulness to you all!

Here’s a John F Kennedy quote on being thankful: “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”