It’s a Friday evening in early summer. The sun is setting, radiating vibrant pink and orange hues. It’s a warm, beautiful evening…the perfect setting for a romantic date night. She anxiously waits for this moment all day. You’ve spent the last couple of weeks exchanging messages to get to know her better and finally set the first date for that Friday at 8 PM. She sends a message saying she is looking forward to the evening, and you reciprocate how excited you are for finally spending time with her. She picks out her favorite lotion and perfume combination, warm vanillas with a hint of coconut, hoping her smell will intoxicate you when you lean in for a good night kiss. She tries on a few different sundresses and decides on a strappy red v neck dress. Satisfied with her attire, she sends another message that she is ready to head to your planned meeting spot. She decides to wait on your response before making the drive. 8 o’clock is quickly approaching and still no word from you. A half hour goes by…and still nothing. Minutes turn to hours. Hours end up turning into days. And still…no response.
She spends the next few days analyzing what she could have said or done to keep you from standing her up. She beats herself up, criticizing everything about herself. She doesn’t feel pretty enough, funny enough, skinny enough, or smart enough. She eventually realizes deep down she wasn’t in the wrong and she IS enough, but it doesn’t make it sting any less.
Life happens, guys. Sometimes work stays over late or you feel ill and need to cancel. Maybe there’s someone else. Or maybe you just weren’t that interested. All those things are valid and are okay to some degree, but please have some courtesy to let that person know. It’s so much easier for everyone to just be open and cut the nonsense out of the equation. Stop leaving someone hanging. Stop making them wonder what happened. It may hurt them briefly, but nothing hurts them worse than not knowing at all. Be polite and give a heads up. It’s not that difficult. Silence is damaging. No one is ever truly that busy to send a quick text and explain what happened. More importantly, NO ONE is that busy to just be a decent human being.
Be kind.
The Adventures of the Baroness 