DEAR HARRIETTE: I haven't been in a physical relationship in two years. I tried online dating, and that didn't work, so now I'm trying to get myself back out into the dating world. My friends set me up with a friend, and I like him so far. He's not in college at the moment, but I understand that everybody in life has setbacks. I want to give him time and see where this goes.
Sadly, due to me not having physical interaction with a man in two years, I don't know how to connect. Honestly, everything feels awkward. It takes me 30 minutes just to actually warm up to the fact that he's right there beside me. I'm so used to being on my own and single, I oftentimes don't bother to include him in the ways that other couples include each other in everything. I don't want him to feel like I'm uninterested, but I don't know how else to act.
How do I get comfortable around men again? How do I include someone in my day-to-day life after being on my own for so long? -- Unsure, New York City
DEAR UNSURE: It's possible that your awkwardness is in part because you have been out of the game for a while, but I'm guessing your lack of connection with this guy is due to lack of interest. Do an assessment to see. What do you like about him? Is he interesting? What do you do together? Sitting next to him for 30 minutes doing what? Figure out what interests you have in common, and choose to do that. This will help tremendously for you to see if you two click.