Dating Diarrhea

Now that I'm back, I've got a full plate again...writing, working, school and catching up with family and friends. In fact the other day as I met up with gal pal, Sam, she wanted to know all about my vacation and how things were going after only just a week shy of living with the Intellect. As I began to blab on about my budding love, I realized she began to sink in her chair. It was only until I took notice that she threw up all her frustrations of dating. Given that 2008 was my year of dating (or as I call, complete repetitive strain), I could relate. But with the dawn of the Intellect, I had to assure her that it will happen. So while I tried to remain optimistic, I had to wonder if gorgeous women like Sam will truly ever get over her bout of dating diarrhea?

While I know most of my friends are happy for me, my enthusiasm and nouveau joie de vivre is sickening for some of them - especially when they're still consumed by what I've termed as IDS - Irritable Dating Syndrome. Date after date they grow more frustrated and realize that they'd rather be at home watching re-runs of Friends than to sit across the table from date #43. They become so frustrated in fact, that they begin to question if they'll have to come to terms with possibly being single...forever.

Symptoms of IDS include: loss of perception, headaches, sadness, anger, thoughts of relocating cities or consumed about finding the one, possible new online dating account memberships, and a sudden increase of reading about the here and now, opening up your life's purpose and your ego.

Just passing the two year single mark, Sam had had it with the scene. She was convinced that Toronto men were too uptight and conservative (now that's a blog entry in itself). I had to assure her that it wasn't that good men are hard to find in the city, it's simply the connection that can be a little challenging to get. During my singledom stint, I encountered plenty of nice guys that bored me to tears, but it wasn't until I encountered the connection when things sparked. And a lot of times that connection comes when you least expect it and with the person you least expect. But I know my girlfriend and by this point, in her mid thirties, she's feels that to do so, would be to settle - and that's simply not an option. A quick coffee meet up soon turned into several hours of me sitting through lukewarm coffee listening to frantic rants of men. Was I like this when I was single?

Well shit, I did create a whole blog about love, life, sex and food didn't I?

So through this rant, I had to stop her...pull on the brakes and save my stomach from eating itself and suggest that we go back to my place and eat. Upon arrival at my place, I panicked as I realized I hadn't gone shopping yet. My blood sugar was quickly dropping at an exponential rate that I became lost in my kitchen (which is all of 5x10 feet big). Fumbling through the cupboards being attacked by flying dry goods, I realized two things: I had a can of emergency tuna and that an avocado was trying to hide behind my toaster. It was good...we were about to be saved.

SWEET & SEXY TUNA AVOCADO WRAP

1 Ezekiel sprouted wrap

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp unpasteurized honey

1/4 organic apple sliced thinly (about three thin slices)

1/2 organic avocado

1/2 can wild caught tuna broken down with a fork with 1 tbsp of olive oil added for moistening

1 small handful arugula

Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

Lay out the Ezekiel sprouted wrap over a thin sheet of plastic wrap on the counter.

Spread out mustard and honey on wrap and top with handful of arugula.

Place slices of avocado and apple on top and add tuna - add a touch more olive oil if needed.

Add sea salt and cracked pepper to taste.

Lift one end of wrap and begin to roll, tucking in all ingredients tightly in. Roll tightly with end flap of wrap turned up so that your hands can secure it.

Fold plastic wrap over and across the sides, then rolling entire wrap in plastic to secure.

Put on a cutting board and cut with a serrated knife in half and wrap entire wrap with aluminum foil to secure.

* When eating, discard aluminum foil, and slowly fold over plastic wrap from half the wrap (like eating a banana). You don't want to take off the entire plastic wrap, otherwise the wrap will fall a part. The plastic wrap secures it for a no-mess eating experience.

This lunch time wrap was created for starters because it was what I had in my kitchen. However, a teacher once told me that usually you have everything you need closer than you think. And when analyzing this wrap, I realized she was right. The avocado did just that.

While men enjoy the creamy taste of avocados peaking sales during Superbowl Sunday, we can also see that it has other benefits like being high in potassium, protein and vitamin E. But my favourite thing about avocados is that it calms vata.

In Ayurveda, there are three constitutions (otherwise known as doshas): pita, vata, kapha. Pita is the element of fire, vata the element of air/ether, and kapha the element of water. Those who are vata tend to have copious amounts of energy but tire easily. When imbalanced their mind races (like floating up in the air) and they become nervous and anxious. Avocados, have the weight (physically given it's creamy texture) that may help to ground those thoughts. So what better fruit to add into a wrap than the buttery texture of avocado?

After eating, our blood sugars kindly settled down and I decided to soothe our pre-caffeine jitters with some tasty tea that I got the other day. Typically in this blog, I don't talk about teas, because I'll admit, I do indulge in a cup of java from time to time. But after discovering David's Tea in Toronto on Queen West, I had to share my new little treat - Coco Rooibos Chai. At first the smell is a bit sweet, but the tea can stand alone without any of the almond milk I would normally drown my chai teas in. I realized it was worth paying the extra money for good quality tea. The taste and the antioxidant properties are far superior in good quality teas rather than the $3-4 boxes of teas I would usually purchase. This tea is what I call, dessert in a cup.

Sam's mind began to ease after a full belly and soothing warm love in a cup. She was certainly receptive to my advice that sometimes with dating diarrhea, you have to go through a lot of shit before a solid one comes along. That for now, she has to do exactly what I did and what I still do...count on my friends. The good ones will be there when you need them, there when you have a boyfriend and still there when they have a boyfriend. It's what good friends...or shall I say, the ones you have a connection with will do. That way, until the solid one comes along, you'll be able to find some sort of grounding in the people we sometimes forget about - our friends.