Blogs you should read: 40 days of dating

I randomly stumbled upon this blog/experiment last night, and found it so very intriguing and captivating, that in a fit of insomnia, I decided to read all 40 days worth of entries. The blog had me yearning for a relationship, but also just to feel close to someone of the opposite sex, whether in a romantic, emotional, or physical way.

40 days of dating is an experiment started by two friends, Jessie Walsh and Tim Goodman. Both were single at the same time, and having very different dating histories, decided to document the trials and tribulations of dating each other for 40 days.

Jessie Walsh and Tim Goodman - 40 days of dating experiment participants
How freaking attractive are they?!

They had a set of rules they followed, one of which included that they must see each other everyday, and they were exclusive, yet there were no rules to say they had to be intimate. Jessie made a very interesting point about developing feelings for someone you're in close proximity to for a long period of time. I've experienced this, where spending constant time with someone causes you to think of them in a different way. As Jessie and Tim had to see each other everyday, they couldn't help but develop romantic feelings for each other.

This experiment has made me change the way I understand what 'dating' is. I think the word in itself means something different to everyone, depending on the value we place on the word, and our own dating experiences. If I look back on the one quasi-relationship I've been in, I can see that we weren't exclusive, and just dating for 3 months. We didn't label ourselves 'boyfriend and girlfriend', but people saw us that way. Yet both of us still kissed other people. I think I fell into that relationship very quickly, as it was my first relationship, and had opened up a lot. I think at the time I was just very flattered to have someone find me attractive and WANT to be with me. I am always perplexed whenever someone shows any interest in me, and I back away as fast as I can. Now, I see 'dating' as the act of going on dates with a person or people, and not necessarily being exclusive.

I found myself being very sympathetic towards Tim, and getting annoyed with Jessie. I think personality and character wise, I relate to Tim a lot more. Our approach to dating and commitment is very similar, and the fact that we shy away from something that seems too good to be true, and when things seem too comfortable.

Both Jessie and Tim designers, and you can see their creativeness just from the little doodles and cute artistic things they do for their daily entries.

40DOD has definitely been quite an interesting read, and allowed insight into the lives of people that are polar opposites of me. This wacky idea has become an online hit, and there's even talks of a movie based on this experiment. If you want to find out what happens after day 40, you should go read the blog!!