May is a great month. We survived the winter, and can safely put away our shovels and boots.  April showers have given way to May flowers. We get to pay homage to all the great Moms out there.  Where would we be without our Mommies?  Memorial Day gives us an awesome opportunity to honor those who have died in the line of service. Of course, it also kicks off the beginning of bathing suit season and summer fun.  Gotta love that.  As if that weren’t enough to get excited about, we get a new Sex and the City (“SATC”) movie.  I know it’s silly, but my girlfriends and I are pretty jazzed.  Just when I thought I’d conquered my addiction to Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, up pops a preview and I’m sucked back in just like I was watching  Season 1, Episode 1.  FYI—I feel the same way about Tony Soprano.

It cracks me up when friends compare me to Carrie Bradshaw of SATC fame.  I’m pretty sure they’re not drawing on our couture collections or Manhattan walk ups as similarities, so it must be our willingness to write about our burning romantic questions.  The reason many of us were drawn to Carrie is because she didn’t have all the answers. She was out there in the dating world riding the waves.  Enjoying a dating high one minute and falling off her Manolos the next.  We loved that she just kept picking herself back up, dusting herself off, and moving on after a couple of Cosmos and some girl chat.  We could relate to her dating ups and downs and kept pulling for her. Who wasn’t PO’d when she got broken up with over a post-it note?  Breaking up is hard to do, but a post-it note? I mean, really! We were all standing there like a deer in the head lights when we found out Big was engaged to be married to the idiot stick figure with no soul.  Poor Carrie showed up for what she thought was a Big reunion lunch when she got that sucker punch.  We watched and wondered, “What Would Carrie Do” (WWCD)? Like Carrie, I’m just a girl trying to figure it all out, and hopefully imparting some wisdom gleaned from my mistakes along the way.  What is the definition is insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  For some of us, love can be a playground for insanity.

I’m excited for all that May brings.  I’m ready to shake off winter and come out of my dating hibernation, which is my own version of ducking into the man cave.  Hibernation is a survival strategy for bears—maybe it should be a dating survival strategy.  Go into the cave when the temps become too much to bear (no pun intended), food is sparse, and you need to rest and restore.  Re-emerge when the air suits you, resources are plentiful and you’re ready to greet the world with a cheeky grin. Dating should be fun and joyful and sexy and playful. For that to happen, I need to be fun and joyful and sexy and playful because I’m half of the equation.  When it starts not being fun, that’s my signal to retreat into my cave, and focus on things that make me happy and restore my energy.  

I’m willing to wager a bet that a handful or two of us have scanned our mental files of SATC reruns for clues when we’ve felt stumped by the Dating Gods.  WWCD if her guy’s sole method of communication was text messaging? WWCD if her date was overly flirty with her friends? WWCD if her date was perfect except for the trail of slobber he left across her face? For the record, I’m pretty sure that seeking dating advice from Carrie and the girls is a safer bet than from Tony Soprano.  I want to date the man, not off him.  So WWCD to ready herself for a new dating season? She’d probably turn to some retail therapy via a new pair of Christian Louboutin’s, and then belly up with the girls for a round of Cosmos. Since my shoe budget is more TJ Maxx than Barney’s, I’ll turn to simple pleasures like going out for a bike ride, running along the Parkway or making dates with my friends for happy hour.  Of course, a girl can always turn to DSW for a pair of something strappy and sexy.  Thanks, Carrie.  I knew you’d know what to do.

Happy Mommies’ Day and Happy Memorial Day!  Here’s to a great summer!

Lori Welch is the owner of JCL Services, Ltd., the area’s premier personal concierge and professional organizing company serving clients in DC/MD/VA since 2001.  Check out www.jclservicesltd today to make your life easier.  Send your Single Space comments to Lori at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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