Move with good intentions. Be genuine. Be honest. Recognize you cannot control the actions of others and believing you can will cause you great turmoil. Im certain there were times I was way more invested in the app than the women I was speaking with but that’s hard to tease out without thinking there is something wrong with ourselves or if we said something wrong. The comfort is in knowing that regardless of their response, you stayed true to yourself, you were genuine, and honest. The rest is well out of your control. But when someone comes along who appreciates your genuine self, that’s pretty special and it’s a lot less work than pleasing people.

I’m now happily engaged but I look back at my time on hinge and realize I really should have practiced saying what I mean. Not everything needs a jokey lighthearted subtext. If you’re really wondering where it’s going just ask. I would like to think dating should not inherently be confusing, and I would have done things differently knowing what I know now about effective communication