Finally ready again...only a little different this go 'round

The timing seems to be just right for me and the new dude. We are pretty much in the same place when it comes to relationships - we are both open to having one with the right person. We are spending time together and getting to know one another in order to see if the other may be the right person. It's great because its a no-pressure situation. The focus is on enjoying our time together; everything else will fall into place if it's meant to be.

After two years of singlehood, I am ready to have a relationship again. After breaking up with my ex, the idea of being in a relationship again caused me to bolt in the opposite direction of anyone who seemed like they wanted to be with me. I've been ready for love again for almost a year, but I hadn't met the right person for me. I was fine with dating people and spending time with them, but I wasn't about to jump into a relationship simply so I could have a man. I knew that I would be more miserable than if I had remained single.

I had reached a point where I was happy and content being single when I met E. I stopped focusing on having a man and focused on myself. I threw myself into work, pursued my own interests, and spent time with friends and family. My thinking was: I'm single and I'm the most important person in my life, so I need to enjoy my life with myself. Once I settle down I may never get these times back; I need to enjoy spending time with me, because that's the person I was with most of the time. It may sound weird, but that is my way of thinking.

It is very likely that I will end up in a relationship with E, but I still think this way. I realize that the reason many of my past relationships failed is because I lost myself in the relationship. I diverged from focusing on myself and made the relationship the center of my world. The source of my happiness cannot come from someone else. It has to come from within.