"D" is for Dating

My roommates are planning an "Australia Night" group date.  I was talking to one of them and she was telling me that she doesn't feel like she has anyone to go with.  I suggested some of her friends and she told me that she couldn't because "we're just friends and I'm not interested so I don't want to ask them." So I suggested a few men that I knew she had "admired" and then she said that she couldn't ask them because "I don't know them well enough."

That conversation got me thinking about dating and why its so complicated and I can now understand a little bit of the guys dilemma.  They don't want to ask a "friend" because it could ruin their friendship and they don't want to ask someone who they don't know because that's kind of awkward.

I'm taking a marriage class and we have talked about how the best marriages are those that are based on friendship.

I guess the trick is gaining the courage to go from "just friends" to "more than just friends".Transitions are the hardest part in any relationship, at any time in the relationship. I haven't had too much luck with that so far. I'm actually really bad at that. I've gotten a lot of advice on how to deal with this transition but I've found that it's not something that can be taught in a book, fireside, talk or from the best advice from well meanin people.

I do know one thing, I want to be friends with men I'd be ok with dating an I want to date people who I can be friends with. I want my marriage to be a friendship.