Welcome & Introduction to Blog: Being Brave
Welcome to my brave new blog! Here you’ll find insights on dating and life, based on the dating project that inspired my memoir, Fifty First Dates After Fifty.
In my late fifties, I challenged myself to go on 50 first dates to find my next partner. I had fun along the way, and I found my partner! So I have helpful, conventional, and unconventional dating tips for women who are looking for a partner and want to make dating enjoyable. And I have dating, relationship, and life adventures to share that illustrate the themes in my book.
Why brave?
It’s brave for older women to date—there are many challenges (future post coming on that!). And still we date, because we want to be in a loving relationship with the right person. It’s also brave for women of all ages to admit that we might be sexual while we are dating. And many of us are, whether we talk about it or not. I want to encourage bravery in dating, or wherever we need it in our lives.
–> Where in your life are you brave, or where do you need to be brave? (Share your thoughts in comments!)
Where I need to be brave
I’m publishing a memoir that is not only about dating when I’m older, but about being sexual while dating. It means that my personal story is going out into the world to be read by people who are not my close friends and friendly editors. I need to be brave, because my book is not for everyone. I need to breathe deeply and take good care of my heart as I encounter both praise and criticism of my book. It is a lot like the positive and negative feedback we get while dating – we can’t take it personally (dating tip number 7). It says more about them than us. We need to be brave.
What’s helping me be brave
The song, Brave, by Sara Bareilles, inspires me, and you can play it below.. She sings,
“Say what you wanna say,
And let the words fall out.
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave!”
“Let your words be anything but empty
Why don’t you tell them the truth? ”
Knowing that there are women like Sara who honestly want me to be brave, to tell the truth, and that other women want to be brave, makes me braver. My fellow women authors at She Writes Press, who are also bravely publishing very personal memoirs, make me braver too.
What being brave means to me
To me, being brave means standing behind my words that are now falling out for anyone to read. It means leaning into the words I’ve written and being proud to share them with the world, even if some people do not care for them. I know that many women need to hear my words about dating, just like I needed to hear Sara’s words about being brave.
–>What does being brave mean to you? (Share in comments!)
Goals of this blog
I want to inspire women, especially older women, to enjoy dating and find the right partner for them. I want to model being sexual in our 50s and beyond for those who want that. I want my stories and insights to encourage women to be brave in dating, and for all of us to be brave when we need to be. Thanks for joining me on this adventure!
What does being brave mean to me? In my mid seventies now, I look toward 10 more years? 20? probably not 30 more years on this earth. What else can I write, say, do that will make life more rewarding, safe and beautiful for my grandson? Can I do this without an intimate partner/companion to share this last chapter and support me in love and adventure? Nobody to be there in sickness and in health? Being brave, I think, is to carry on living passionately, enthusiastically and honestly even if I don’t get my birthday wish. Being brave means trusting my talents and beauty regardless of outside validation. Being brave means abiding in gratitude even if I don’t know what’s coming next.
Jennie, this is beautiful! I love those ways of being brave, and I love you!
I had my first brave moment when I had to move on after I lost my second husband at 47 years old. I had moved from a very small town in Michigan to California where it was a whole new world. We had only 5 years together, and when he died, I was alone with family or many friends for the first time in my life. I went on a few dating web sites to force myself to move on, and eventually did find my current husband. It is not an easy time, but if you experiences real love, you have to try again. Anne
Anne, what a brave moment that was! You were really starting over. I love that you made yourself get out there so you could move on and find love again.. and you did!