I’m a planner. I always have been. When I feel stressed, or overwhelmed, I sit down and map out what is in front of me, set some goals, objectives, parameters, tasks and timelines. Things that help me create a sense of structure to move through. It should come as no surprise that I have same feeling as I approach dating myself 50 times over the next 43 weeks.

What do I want from my dates? Someone once sent me this very funny, and very true wikiHow page on “wooing an Aquarius woman.” It tickled every sense that I have of myself and so, I am challenging myself in the same way to create dates that “woo me”. Dates that stimulate my senses and that are fun, relaxing and interesting. I want dates that sometimes challenge me outside of my comfort zone. I want dates that are cozy and intimate and I want dates that are romantic and take a little more effort. I want a get-away weekend. Dates that stimulate my intellectual curiosity. These dates are not about taking myself to the gym on a Friday night, but it might be packing myself a special picnic and biking a little bit further up the hill in Gatineau Parc for an afternoon. It’s not just about doing something by myself – I regularly do that – but about having the intention of putting that extra effort into a date, into myself, in the same what that I approach dating someone new.

Along the way, I hope to learn more about myself and bring more intentional play and romance into my life.

Here is my first list of some of the dates that appeal to me, many things I’ve done before, a few that I haven’t, and in no particular order…

•  Picnic in the park with all my favourite nibbly bits
• River rafting
• Kayaking
• An afternoon wandering around the Ottawa Art Centre/National Art Gallery/Museum of History followed by a lingering tea and treats at the café
• Exploring a new place to hike
• Time at Nordik Spa on my own
• A night out at the National Arts Centre, could be theatre, music, dance
• A comfy date at home with candles and cuddles on the couch
• Going out to listen to live music
• A weekend getaway to Montreal
• Paint night
• Listening to a provocative speaker challenging me to think about things differently
• Dinner out at the fanciest restaurant in town
• Checking out a music festival in the park
• An afternoon of bowling
• Something that sneaks me away from work… in the middle of the week… in the middle of the afternoon
• A bike ride to any of the little towns around Ottawa for lunch on a patio
• Take myself out for a night of dancing
• Wandering around the tulips at the Tulip Festival
• An afternoon at the beach, playing in the water
• Paddle boarding
• Dinner at home with candles and fancy drinks
• Thousand Islands boat cruise