It can be difficult for many of us to find the time to go out on dates since we have demanding work schedules that transcend the typical 9-5. However, it is that reality which is exactly why we need to date and try to establish some sort of personal and professional balance. The days of dad coming home to mom cooking dinner and the kids doing their homework at the table, before spotting him entering the house and running to give him a hug, are largely over.

So too are the days where mom and dad both work 9-5, come home and relax with their children every night, go out to dinner on Saturday and work in the yard on Sunday. Professions nowadays work 60, 70, 80 hours a week (including weekends), which leaves little time for any of us to build relationships that resemble these bygone fantasies from another world and time.

The difficulty of finding quality time to spend together at the beginning of a relationship poses a potentially insurmountable roadblock, since it is during that time when getting to know each other and hopefully building a sense of mutual trust typically occurs. Trouble finding good times to go out on dates, and phone conversations condensed into impersonal texts, make it nearly impossible to get to know someone and determine if you have a true connection.

I am not an easy person to make plans with, primarily because I work a zillion hours and there is no specific time when my day typically ends. Additionally, as my friends can attest to, during the season I am a virtualghost (even when we aren’t on the road). Yet, in spite of my crazy job I’d like to think that if the right woman and relationship came along that I would figure out a way to make it work. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that she will do anything more than acknowledge my efforts, but regardless I have to keep trying and have faith that eventually I’ll find someone who likes me enough to make things work in spite of my crazy lifestyle.