The Everything Dating Book: Meet New People and Find Your Perfect Match! by Alison Blackman Dunham

Author:Alison Blackman Dunham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Adams Media
Published: 2011-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Dating Survival Kit

Think there's no way to be prepared for a date? Think again! There are countless tools and techniques that you can use to be prepared and make every date great. Some are items and ideas so commonplace that you might have overlooked them in the past. In reality, there's no reason to view a stubbed toe or a popped button as the dead end of your date—if you're prepared. This chapter will tell you all you need to know to go from a struggle to success!

Practical Dating Tools

When dating experiences go wrong, it's usually due to something unanticipated and no one is to blame. But that doesn't mean you can't prepare for common problems. For example, if you develop heartburn or a headache, you'll end up feeling miserable if you don't have antacid tablets or aspirin. If you don't bring written directions to your meeting place, you may be lost or delayed, and sabotage the date before it even begins. If you haven't made clear plans, you may be worried about what you're doing instead of calm and confident.

The truth is that even a Band-Aid can be enough to save the day. Hope discovered this on her date with Adrian:

“Adrian and I went on a picnic. He took out a corkscrew to open a bottle of wine and accidentally shoved it into his finger. It wasn't a deep wound, but was bleeding like crazy. Thank goodness I had tissues, antibacterial towelettes, and Band-Aids in my purse. Adrian was able to fix up his hand and continue our date. He was impressed that I was clever enough to be prepared so our date didn't end in disaster. We're getting married in the same park where we had that picnic. (Hope, 32, Fitness Instructor)”

Here's a list of small, everyday items that can help dates go off without a hitch. Make them standard equipment when you go out:

• Cell phone, phone card, or change for a pay phone

• Phone numbers of friends who will take your call if you need assistance of any kind, along with contact information for your date (in case you're late or you get lost on the way to your destination)

• Phone numbers of roadside assistance, a few reliable taxi or car services, and the local police

• Band-Aids, aspirin, antacids, breath-freshening gum or mints

• Condoms (maybe you're not planning to use them, but just in case)

• Car equipment, such as jumper cables, flashlight, local map, emergency service number

• Prepaid transit card or tokens, and a bus or subway map

• A notepad and a functional pen or pencil

• At least $20 in emergency money

• Tissues or a handkerchief

• Directions to your meeting place

• Your date's cell phone number (in case you get lost or run late)

• On-the-go energy snack

You don't have to tote the following on your actual dates, but these “tools” can help make your dating journey smoother, safer, and more successful:

• An answering machine or an answering service, pager, or voice mail

• A journal (to

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