Finding the perfect mate is like finding the perfect outfit for a soiree \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it takes dedication, lots of effort, friends to help you and in most cases it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hidden in a fabulous vintage store in a unique \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdistrict\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. Finding the perfect mate is also like looking for a car \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you have to search through the thousands of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcclassifieds\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, have good friends to help you look, and need to test drive it one or two times and see exactly how it operates on the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcroad\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. Finding a perfect mate is also like finding the perfect winter sweater to pair with your pants \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you have to feel snuggled and warm in it, it should be fitted enough, but not too suffocating, and it has to allow you to show your sense of individuality while highlighting how fabulous they look together. Well, sometimes finding the perfect mate can be very<\/i> exhausting. All these \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsamplings\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dctrials\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dctest-drives\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcout-fit experiments\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsweater-runs\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 can be taxing on one\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s body and you just need to go through \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMEN-O-PAUSE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
According to the Homo-Dick-tionary of Imported Words<\/i><\/b>, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMEN-O-PAUSE is a state of single-ness where one takes a break from the scene, steps back from the mayhem of dating life and through introspection comes to see exactly what one wants and the best way to get it.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Oh, and by the way, in a revised version of the term, it states that this also includes no hook-ups, no blow-jobs, no having \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdrinks\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 with an ex-bf, no internet dating and no kissing. Internet pornography, however, is fully acceptable for its \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmedicinal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 purposes. The Lesbo-Vagi-nary of Imported Words<\/i><\/b>, provides the complementary \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc(wo)MEN-O-PAUSE is a state where a femme (or stud, in rare cases) takes a break from her girl-hunting days.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 No slumber parties allowed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The concept of the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcperfect mate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 in itself is the stressor (wait, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcstressor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I am watching too much Criminal Minds\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 that sexy Shamar Moore has me so weak!). \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcPerfect\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 denotes no flaw, no adjustment needed, ideal for ONLY me. My friends will adore him, my family will worship him, he won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t leave me — never; we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll last forever and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll rescue me from single-ness. But is there such a thing as a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcperfect\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 mate? Are we fooling ourselves or are we just misinformed about this new species of man? In search of love, are we asking for too much and being unfair, or is this a reasonable request? The fact that so many of us have slapped on the F.B.I badge in search of the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcperfect mate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 makes me wonder if we really know what we want. Do we need to just shut the hell up, leave the dating scene and allow MEN-O-PAUSE to reset our search engine? In life and love, why do we believe that everything has to be perfect? Perfect is boring (Daney-ann Thomas, 2011\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.a.k.a\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmy Hag\u00e2\u20ac\u2122).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The notion of the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcperfect mate\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 mirrors that of Santa Claus \u00e2\u20ac\u201c good for kids, stories, novels, movies and the economy, but definitely bad for reality, adults and our hearts. And so, like kids and Santa, Christmas morning comes and gifts are being opened. Some kids are happy with what they receive and some are not. The kids who aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t happy are those who claim to have not gotten exactly what they had hoped\/prayed\/wished-upon-a-star for. But, is it that what they actually received is a bad gift? Is it that the gift is such a misfit that you need to return it to the store? Or, should you be more eager to try-out the gift, test what it can do, compare it to what others have received. Step back and take a scenic view of everything!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The long and short of it all is that whether you are in a committed relationship or dating, there comes a time when you need to go through \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcMEN-O-PAUSE\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes, the best view one can get is from that bit farther off. Being up close, you are often blinded by your blurry fixation; or just so dependent that even if the truth is staring you in the face, you fail to believe it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Dwayne Cobourne<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Finding the perfect mate is like finding the perfect outfit for a soiree \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it takes dedication, lots of effort, friends to help you and in most cases it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hidden in a fabulous vintage store in a unique \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdistrict\u00e2\u20ac\u2122. Finding the perfect mate is also like looking for a car \u00e2\u20ac\u201c you have to search…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":2821,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false},"categories":[363,63],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/menopause-image.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2833"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}