Reader Submitted Things I'm Terrible At: Keeping My Hopes In Check

I just received this submission from our reader, Naike, and I had to share it. We've ALL been there, dude!

Will I ever learn to not get my hopes up?

You've all heard the story: Girl meets boy at a cookout. Girl charms boy with her quick wit and big appetite. Phone numbers are exchanged, frequent texting ensues. Sounds like the beginning of a summer fling fairy tale right? Well it might be until something I like to call High Hopes Syndrome sets in.

I've been in this position before. It will be a week into this playful banter/flirty text paradise when I casually mention him to my friends. They'll get excited and start pestering me for details so naturally, I'll fill them in. Right then at that very moment, my hopes will soar higher than the notes on a Mariah Carey record. I can't help it! Something about falling into a communication routine quickly with him gets me all worked up and before I know it, I've got this boy on the brain all day. I'll remind myself that it’s new and chances are we'll just be friends for now. I'll laugh at myself for checking my phone when it hasn't beeped, flashed or buzzed in while. I'll even prepare myself for that daily late night phone call: All the symptoms of HHS.

The second week comes along and dates are being planned. I'm trying to figure out a way to impress him without looking like I tried too hard. I'll check the restaurant menu online so I don't look indecisive when we get there. I’m obsessing over the tiny details when suddenly things change; he's not texting or calling as frequently. In fact, I haven't heard from him for a whole day. I can't call him out on the disappearing act because really, I'm just getting to know him.

This is the beginning of the end. Another day passes and the silence continues. The air has been let out of my balloon. Deflated, it dawns on me that I had my hopes way too high. It's crazy how attached I became to the routine that lasted all of five days. If only I could muster this amount of enthusiasm for the gym I recently joined. I'd love to be able to say that I keep my cool when a crush sets in but its damn near impossible to suppress those ridiculous giddy emotions. The thirst is real and my hopes are too damn high. 

Seriously, this happens to me ONCE A WEEK! Usually it's right around the time when I notice something exciting happening the following weekend and I think it'd be fun if we went together as a couple. That energy must be psychically transmitted to him because he'll peace out faster than a cheapskate does when the check comes at a group birthday dinner.