March 30th

Dear journal,

Well, it is official – Penelope and Justin are dating. He asked her to be his girlfriend and they went on a proper date last night, which meant she called the house to tell me she wouldn’t be home for dinner, but would be back early enough to get her homework done. I felt a little like her mom, but congratulated her and told her to have a good time. All accounts when she got home read that she did just that.

Mandy seems to be a little bitter, but she is trying not to show it, which makes me think that even though she’s not over it, she has made up with Penelope. I asked if she still wanted to join the Running Club, and she politely declined – which I figured would be the answer. She already has to see her best friend with the guy she likes at school, why would she want to see it socially? Not to mention that whole hatred of dirt and sweat.

Oh well, at least they have made up. It would be incredibly awkward around the dinner table if they kept fighting, but Mandy is already bringing up the names of other boys at school when she tells us about her day, so I’m sure she’ll move on soon enough.

It turns out that Nick and Ellen are high school sweethearts, as the saying goes. Ellen told the story of how the first got together, and I almost didn’t believe how shy she portrayed the both of them, but it is sweet that they have been together for so long and that they found each other so early in life. I don’t know if it is the fact that everyone seems to be finding a partner or that it is spring – the season of blooming love – but I sometimes get the feeling like I am missing out. I’m not really one to push these things, but if someone could show up in my life and sweep my off my feet, I would be open to that. I’ve become more social, since starting the Running Club this week and volunteering at The Centre, so you never know who I am going to meet.

Some of the magazines I have been combing through for useful exercise tips have sections devoted to dating, but I try to avoid reading them, because they make everything seem so complicated – like it is all a big game and if you don’t know each strategy, you will lead a life of loneliness. I was never one to play chess, and I’m not about to memorize “49 ways to keep a man interested” in me. I would want someone to actually be interested in me, not whatever the magazine thinks I should pretend to be. I know I’m not every guy’s ideal woman, but that doesn’t mean that I want to change who I am so every man wants to be with me. I really only need to find one, eventually – and I actually don’t “really need” to find any, if you think about it. I would just prefer to find one, and if I do, I would want him to like me for me, not me for my strategies of getting him to like me.

Besides, if I were to meet a guy now, I don’t know if I could fit him into my busy schedule. Between organizing things for the Running Club, doing all the house work and cleaning, and volunteering on Sundays – plus getting my own running done – he would have to either be good at laundry, cooking or running just so we could spend a decent amount of time together. In fact, if he wanted to spend lots of time with me, it would be beneficial to be good at all three.

Always,
-Miriam