By Rabbi Aron Moss
Q:Â I am in my late thirties and still single. I have met dozens of women, but none are right for me. I know what you are going to say: I am too fussy. But I canât just settle on something half good. Where is the woman of my dreams?
A:Â It doesnât make sense. You are a wonderful person with so much to offer. Why are you still alone?
There could be many reasons why someone may find it hard to find a partner. But I think in your case the answer is simple. Youâre married already. You are not available, because you are involved in a longstanding intimate relationship with an imaginary Ms. Perfect. You have an exact picture in your mind of the perfect woman, and you are so in love with that picture that you are not open to anyone else. No matter how great the girl is, she canât compare to your dream.
You have become stuck inside a bubble with your imaginary love, and are not really open to real people. So, you havenât really met dozens of womenâyou never actually meet anyone. You see them not for who they are, but rather for who they are notâthe imaginary Ms Perfect.
A relationship means connecting with an other, someone who is not you. You canât have a relationship with a figment of your own imagination, or with your own assumed caricature of another person. You need to step out of your imagination, suspend your prejudices and really open yourself to someone else. Let yourself be surprised. Otherwise, the woman of your dreams will stay right where she isâin your dreams.
I apologize if my answer is harsh. I just want to burst your bubble, because there is a real person out there waiting for you to meet her. She deserves it. So do you.
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