My Problem With The Ladies

These last few weeks I've had the opportunity to think a lot about a question that has always been on my mind, "Why is it so hard for me to be myself around girls?" It makes me laugh to think about it, but...I always thought that my mission would help me come around.

My mission taught me a lot of things about girls, yes. I learned how to respect them better. I learned the importance of actually thinking before I speak to a girl. Most importantly of all: I was taught by my awesome mission president what I need to look for in a girl before I date her.

Now, just because I've been taught these things doesn't mean that I'm necessarily good at them. Being my awkward, RM-self, I've noticed that I'm actually VERY rusty. We won't throw out any names, but I've been very impressed by a few young ladies that I have met since coming home. No, I'm not one of those guys that will propose to a girl only days after meeting her; I don't think that'd be a good idea. But yes, I am the kind of guy who likes to take these impressive young ladies out on a few dates in order to get to know them, make them laugh, and perhaps give them a compliment or two on their personality or their appearance. Because that's what I've been taught to do my whole life.

However, you know you have problems when you say things like the following to a girl:
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"Hey! I didn't even realize you were here until you said something!"-BDN

"So....How was your Monday....???"-BDN
"It was good."-Girl
"...That's good....."-BDN
"...."-Girl

[BDN walks up to the girl at church.]
"(Girl's first name) (girls's last name)! How's it going?"-BDN
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And those are only a few examples. And so I sort of have noticed that I kind of freak girls out and scare them away. It's a shame, really. Because I really am a nice guy. But alas....

practice makes progress, right?