How much is too much?

I continue to struggle with how much time and effort I should put into my dating life. As a little girl I was told "Don't worry, your prince will come" and "You'll meet someone wonderful and you'll just know" as most little girls were told. I was lead to believe that fate would put someone in my life and it would just work out.

But let's be honest; it is a lot more complicated than that. And as I get older it gets more and more difficult. Did this person who was fated to be with me already come and go? Was I in tune to what was going on? Did I miss my one opportunity?

As technology continues to advance, more and more facets of meeting people open up; although a lot of them do not involve face to face contact or speech. So how much time is too much?

I have been on eharmony since July 2010. Signing up was my way of telling myself that I was "putting myself out there" and investing in finding a mate. On a weekly basis I get somewhere between 21 and 42 new matches. Usually about half of my new matches attempt to communicate with me.

I work on a computer all day so when I get home on weeknights I really don't want to spend more time looking at a computer screen. I usually check my matches on a weekly basis. By the time I have gone through all my new matches, weeding out those with dull likes/dislikes, short answers and bad pictures, two hours have passed.

And this doesn't include answering guided communication questions from new or current matches. I could spend an hour a day on this site easily.

But, again with the honesty, I feel like I have more important things to do. Like get out and experience some culture, not to mention human contact!

If the dating pool gets smaller as I get older and the quality of the "fish" gets worse, what chance do I have?! And if there is such a thing as fate, how much time is too much?

Do I believe that there is someone out there that will love me as much as I love them? Sure. Does being somewhat jaded blur my vision? Absolutely.

In all reality, there is no clear answer. I will continue to think positive, recognize all the great things that I have to offer, become more aware of myself and those around me and step out of my comfort zone!

Online Dating: Things that must go!

1. Scanned profile pics that an ex was obviously ripped out of.
2. Answering questions with "You'll just have to see."
3. Posting pictures that are more than 5 years old.
4. Nudging, winking, of sending an icebreaker. If you want to get to know me, do it!
5. Posting pictures of yourself on your motorcycle/in your car.
6. Posting pictures you've taken yourself in a mirror while flexing your biceps.
7. Short answers to profile questions. If it's important to you, take some time to think and process your answers.
8. When talking about things you can't live without, leave out air, food, shelter... as I am aware of this.
9. Sending text messages as your main source of communication after the initial meeting.
10. Saying "You don't look anything like your picture" when you meet for the first time.
11. Use SPELLCHECK people!
12. Posting profile pictures you've taken with your phone/computer. Can't you have someone take a decent picture of you?!

Please, add to my list! We all have great examples of what not to do while online dating!!