#1- And so it begins...

My foray into this 100 date adventure began on a bleak afternoon in the Pearl District about two weeks ago. #1 and I had met through an application on my phone and had spent a few days before the date texting and getting to know one another. He seemed enthusiastic to meet me and I was enthusiastic about trying a new tea place out in the Pearl.

#1 (who I might add has the eternal honor of being #1) was waiting for me to arrive and was sipping on a bubble tea as I entered the tea shop. I don’t know if sipping is really the correct terminology when it comes to bubble tea since that straw is so damn big. I guess he was gulping down his tea from the feeding straw. Anyways, the first thing I noticed about #1 besides the enormous bubble filled straw, was his smile.

I have a thing for smiles. I like to smile a lot. And a good smile at just the right moment can cause me to melt. I think you can tell a lot about a person by how much they smile and how natural they look when doing so. I’ve found that if their smile is good, their heart is often good as well.

I ordered an immune boosting tea (which was delivered in the most delightful little tea set), sat down with #1, and began to talk with him. Our conversation lasted for about an hour and ranged from growing up with divorced parents (we both have divorced parents) to the basic tenets of veganism (he’s a vegan and I’ve always said I wanted to try). It was an engaging conversation for the most part, although I often found myself talking a bit more than he did and having to drive the dialogue in new directions.

#1 and I are actually at fairly similar points in our lives. We’re both in our mid-twenties, recently graduated from college, and trying to figure out the next steps of our lives. The big difference between us however is that he seems to be floating currently, while I’m attempting to pump my life into overdrive to reach some of the goals I’ve set. It’s not that he’s not a productive person; he has a college degree, works a consistent job, and seems to have a decent social life. However, he doesn’t really know where he wants to go in life and I think that’s what made our conversation hit walls at times.

Overall I had a good time. The tea was excellent, his smile was wonderful, but the conversation, kind of like the weather outside, was simply plain.