BACHELORETTE BINGO

If you are a fan of ABC reality television then you are probably spending Monday nights watching The Bachelorette featuring Emily Maynard.  How many seasons have aired at this point -- 100?  I remember first watching this show as a sophomore in college and it quickly became a weekly tradition to have all of my sorority sisters gather around the big screen television with popcorn in hand to cheer on our favorite contestants and, ultimately, root for true love.

Now, ten years later, there are still a handful of us that find the show and its eccentric characters to be highly entertaining but perhaps a less than accurate portrayal of real love.  As we have matured and experienced the peaks and pitfalls of dating and marriage we have become more resigned to realizing that dates featuring Cirque de Soleil, rock stars, and infinite amounts of champagne and candles are not correctly categorized as 'Reality TV' but, rather, 'Fairy Tale TV'.  

For me, I have the scars of heartbreak on my skin, the frustrations of dreams unfulfilled, and worst of all -- the real disappointment that comes with love letting you down.  I watch The Bachelorette with more skepticism and cynicism, but I seek it out none the less for the pure entertainment that can come from watching these exaggerated personalities.   

But what happens to the jaded girl when she meets a boy that writes romantic comedies for a living and easily confesses a desire and intention to be a good man?  My first thought:  "If it seems too good to be true then it probably is."  A statement that is not entirely fair to the man working to show me that he means what he says and still believes in true love. 

We are living in a world that tells us to always put our own interests first, protect our hearts from the jerks that we come across, and basically brace for the worst no matter the signs that direct us along the path of life.  I had a conversation with a dear friend last night that reiterated much of this tone and embraced the theme to 'protect and self preserve'.  But what if I let the worries go with the winds and, instead, spend my energy suffocating the fear in my mind and sidelining the thoughts that tell me people are not capable of the simple act of meaning what they say. 

I'm back in the dating ring, but not putting on the boxing gloves this time.  It's a risk to believe that true romance still exists, but I've decided it's a chance worth taking.  There is a reason why Disney fairy tales are considered timeless stories and I challenge you to think how your perspective might change if you could simply say "I Believe".