Friday, January 16, 2009

Anonymous Solace

One of my new favorite on-line ways to kill time is nerve.com's "Dating Confessions." Works like this: readers anonymously submit narrative or experiential statements about relationships, and you can click on a button "I relate" or "I don't relate."

The site should really be called "Breakup Confessions" because 4 out of 5 of the statements are related more to the end of dating rather than the actual process of dating. Which in lies the reason I spend time there. It's a cathartic way to admit to feeling painful and embarrassing things to myself, without having to admit them to myfriends.

For example, if someone writes something like "I know everyone thinks I hate you, but I really wish you would call," or "Sometimes I wake up thinking you'll still be there and when you're not, I get up and drink whiskey in the kitchen while eating jam and saltines," sometimes I can relate. I keep a very similar list in my journal. And admitting such terrible things to myself, good. But I'm sure as hell not going to it that to anyone I know.

Its hokey and silly, but it makes me feel better to know that there are other people out there that are also walking that fine line between being OK and taking a field trip to crazytown. And that there are 40 people out there that relate to, "I wish I didn't swallow my tongue when startled by you."

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