Trying to affix shelves to the crumbly plaster walls of my new apartment was no easy task. I thought I had the shelf above my desk installed just fine and had begun to stack my books when it crashed down right on top of my 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Upon inspection by the Mac techies in the Apple store, my computer was deemed kaput - and with it, my hard drive, which housed more than 3,000 songs, my photos and about everything I have ever written.
While I knew I could easily redownload Rihanna's "Umbrella," I couldn't retake photos with exes or repiece the saved IM conversation where he admitted he was falling for me. Unlike Rihanna, those primary source memories can't be recovered and saved forever.
I start this semester with an adorable new apartment, a fabulously fresh haircut and a blank canvas of a laptop. I also begin with my last crush in a new ZIP code, no attractive alternative and a lack of those trinkets we all save from our past relationships.
I couldn't be happier.
Truth is, holding onto relics of relationships past is neither healthy nor practical.
And maneuvering through the rough waters of the dating world necessitates an internally open hard drive (i.e., an open mind).
With the school year just starting, what better time to clean out your prehistoric couple cobwebs?
The beginning of a semester presents unparalleled opportunities: to flirt, to naively believe we will attend class each and every day, and most importantly, to be open and available when it comes to dating.
I'm a firm believer that what you put out into the universe is what you get back. My new sunny (almost giddy) demeanor will surely bring me a slew of suitors, right?
See, that is what's so great about the start of the school year - you can almost believe those "glass is half full" assertions.
My point: anything's possible right now. The sky's the limit.
How many times in your life will you get to essentially start anew? Feel empowered by that.
Talk to the cutie in your lab. Grab your wingmen and girls and go out. Accept the date with that coed who isn't quite your type.
By the end of football season you just may be blocking your seats with a new sweetie. Perhaps you'll even think they're greater than Tebow himself? But then again, that may be a little too optimistic.
