fbpx

Welcome to Our Weekly Magazine

Become the best version of yourself Sign-up for our weekly magazine.

Become the best version of yourself today.

We send a weekly roundup of our best work and highlight standout community members. It's free, and you can always leave if it's not your jam.

Love Letter to Myself

Lori Mendelsohn writes a love letter to herself and a playbook for a future lover to create greater understanding and depth of connection

Self-realization can be an empowering part of our lives. Coming to a place of self-acceptance and love (and forgiveness) is even more powerful. Boundary setting — don’t get me started. I learned all of this after my divorce and realized how important finding ME was and still is a daily journey.

I was prompted to write this article because it speaks to many things: fears, hope, joy, and a future with another human being. Having been with the same person the majority of your life and then finding a new mate feels unfamiliar and uncomfortable. I get that. 

As we aren’t mind readers, wouldn’t it be nice to be given a playbook? An article of reference to understand the space and place another human is living in so we know where they are coming from? I think so. I hope you will enjoy this and use it yourself one day —adding your own special sauce to custom fit it to your needs, wants, and desires. Stir in some of your own blend and I hope we have a love letter worth giving and also receiving. It should spark a beautiful conversation, at the very least.

Dear Lover,

I am ecstatic that you are in my life and we’ve come to this place. I’m giddy with excitement of what we are now and what we can be together. I honor and respect you.

It has taken me a lifetime of work for me to get here; to be present with you. But, before we take the leap of physical intimacy, I would like to share with you the place I am coming from, and I also want to hear your experience. It’s important to me to fully understand you.

My entire life I have lived with the notion that there is one person for me, and that this love lasts a lifetime. Sadly, it’s just not true. Time wears away at us and sometimes moves us apart; emotional exploration takes a new avenue for us and, as our bodies age, we need and want different things. Perhaps the love was taken from us, or it was taken for granted.  Maybe my spouse died or left; maybe I left. Whatever it is, I want you to know that I am wounded, and I am not afraid to say it or own it.

The wounds I have are scars of my life. You see, in loving someone else, I realized that I surrendered who I was to become “us.” In becoming a couple, I cast aside some of the wants and needs that I so desperately desire. The need for time spent alone — of self-reflection and inner work. The need for friendships outside of the relationship you and I may have. The need for self-growth and taking classes that may not interest you. The need to be whole as I enter into a union with you. For me, it’s the only way that it will work. We both need to be whole before we can be together.

So, with that preface, I want to clear a path for you to come into my life. I want to give you a key in understanding who I am. I want to be transparent, honest, and authentic with you. I want you to know my many sides — both good and bad. I am imperfect and while I am open to being with you in every way possible, I am also optimistically guarded entering into this.

I want to give you a key to me. To know what I need. To hear what you need as well. To understand what my triggers are, and what triggers you, too. We both have so much to learn about each other and I want this to work. I don’t want to navigate this life alone and want to have you as my potential last first date.

So, my future lover, I am giving you the playbook on me:

∙ I want and need to be acknowledged and heard. We will not always agree with each other but, if we respect each other, we can take the world on as a united force.

∙ I want you to understand my fear. My fear of being hurt again, and that entering into this, with you, I have our best interest in mind.  I will hold your heart in my hand and treat it as a newborn with the grace and tenderness you deserve.

∙ I want you to touch me. Touch me tenderly, roughly, sexually and arouse me. Rough, soft, spontaneously, erotically — I want it all. I will tell you when it’s too much or uncomfortable, but please be aware that I have not been touched in a long time. This is like learning to ride a bike again and it will take me some time to get the training wheels off. I also want you to hold my hand, take my arm and hug me — just because. This is equal in importance to the sexual portion because I want and need both.

∙ Listen to me. When I speak, many of the words will be awkward. Many may be prickly. Many may be said with anger or upset but know that all are said with a purpose to get closer to you or solve a problem with you. I will falter; I will screw up. I will apologize when something pops out of my mouth that I wish I could rewind. Again, I am imperfect and at times will be a complete jackass. I promise to work on my words before speaking and hurting you.

∙ Surprise me. Do something unexpected for me that only you can come up with.

∙ Invest in me. If we are going to become intimate, I want you to invest in the time we share together and be present. There is nothing lonelier than being in a relationship where both are vapid, and two people merely share the same air. Turn off your phone to be there fully with me. I will do the same. 

∙ Lastly, be gentle with me sexually, as I have not had a lover in a long time. I may be clumsy. I am not the same person I was 20 years ago — even 30 years ago. My libido has taken a turn since menopause and things don’t function as well as they used to. But please, be kind and non-judgmental with me and I will be the same. 

I love what we will become. I love what we will create together. I love the idea of being with you emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Thank you for being in my life…

With Love,

Your future lover

See medical disclaimer below. ↓

6 COMMENTS

  1. This entire piece is incredibly moving, provocative, vulnerable, truthful and beautiful. As someone that has been divorced, it so clearly and powerfully encapsulates the emotions and experience we have putting ourselves into this unfamiliar and uncomfortable space of opening our heart up again. Bravo, Lori. Bravo!

    Can’t wait to read more!

  2. Love Letter to Myself
    Dear Lover,
    Sometimes in our lives we are faced with challenges with LOVE.
    I lost my soul mate after 40 wonderful years. It tears my heart out daily wondering if that next true love is out there.
    When I read this article it brought tears to my eyes , great tears I might add. Tears knowing that others out there are facing the same grief whether it be from death or divorce.
    When you digest this love letter it encompasses so many.
    Thank you Lori for these cleansing tears

  3. Allison, thank you for your kind and thoughtful post. We are all so much more alike than we think-fearful of seeking what we really need and fearing we may not measure up. From C Suite Executives to Janitors-all want love.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

The ideas expressed here are solely the opinions of the author and are not researched or verified by AGEIST LLC, or anyone associated with AGEIST LLC. This material should not be construed as medical advice or recommendation, it is for informational use only. We encourage all readers to discuss with your qualified practitioners the relevance of the application of any of these ideas to your life. The recommendations contained herein are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. You should always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before starting any new treatment or stopping any treatment that has been prescribed for you by your physician or other qualified health provider. Please call your doctor or 911 immediately if you think you may have a medical or psychiatric emergency.

Lori Mendelsohn
Lori Mendelsohn is a matchmaker, dating coach, and writes online dating apps profiles for those who want to be noticed in a sea of swiping. She has been introducing couples since the tender age of 19 and her intuitive skills have resulted in many marriages, inclusive of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Being single, Lori is in the thick of dating as a “senior” citizen with all the joys, heartaches, and self-realizations one comes to as an “older” adult. Lori helps her clients navigate a safe and healthy path to dating online and in person. She can be reached at hello@avconnexions.com

 

Recommended Articles

RECENT ARTICLES

LATEST Profiles

Latest in Health Science