The following post is by one of my favorite introvert bloggers, Brenda Knowles from Space2Live.net.  I highly recommend that you stop by her site and check out her insightful posts on intimacy, introversion and self-actualization.

My friend had low to no expectations for her first date with her now live-in boyfriend. She wore a sweatshirt and considered him dating practice. There were no pre-conceived romantic dreams or predictions and… their relationship worked! I’ve tried to keep that in mind as I prepare for first dates. I try to rein in my beautifully high expectations for love, but they’re always there simmering, waiting to boil over into reality.

I don’t give up. I love the hope and possibilities that dating brings. A relationship that embodies deep emotional intimacy, an enlightened understanding of introversion and a powerful two-way engagement of minds, feels unobtainable at times, but it’s what I truly desire and until I find it I am content alone.

 The deepest of emotional intimacy

What is emotional intimacy?

It’s…

Sharing heart stories, broken stories and tales of exquisite joy.

Being fully seen and known.

The closest you can get to someone non-physically.

Risking vulnerability and growing stronger because of it.

Giving without depleting.

Sharing truths without fear of rejection.

Extending yourself and expanding exponentially.

A two-way connection where you both feel heard and nourished.

Trusting.

The best foreplay.

My biggest turn-on is emotional intimacy. Vulnerability, to me, is an aphrodisiac. I absolutely must have that heart safe connection and closeness before I surrender my body to a man.

Sharing intimately creates energy for me. It fills me up and spills out into the external world. It feeds me internally which affects how much I can give externally. It gives me the ability to not only feel love but to act on it as well. Anything that generates energy for an introvert is invaluable, highly prized, hence my insatiable search for emotional intimacy.

Understanding the need for space AND connection

Sacred solitude is where I come back to myself. I need it like I need sleep. It replenishes my energy. It untangles my thoughts. It helps me fall in love with the world. Reflection and reverie time provide the opportunity to see the best in others and situations.

Asking for time away from my partner feels bad. We’re supposed to want to be with them, yes? A request for space is often taken as personal rejection of them when actually it’s a personal honoring of myself.

The ideal partner understands this need for solitude but also is there to receive me at the end of my retreat. It helps if they consistently experience the glowing, full me post solitude. This is me at my best and most loving. I can bathe a loved one in intimacy. I can be fully present and engaged. I can be an amazing partner if an awareness of introversion and its occasional need for low-stimulation is accepted and understood.

 Two-way engagement that leaves my mind swirling in deliciousness for days

It’s rare but I’ve experienced it. Two hours of conversation can be relived in my thoughts for days. If it’s a particularly stimulating and satiating exchange I’ll want more and soon! That two-way flow of thoughts and ideas is an addiction of mine. Sure, I can have stimulating conversation with friends and family but finding it with a potential mate is mind-blowing. I believe it’s the intimacy facet that creates this reaction. The potential for even deeper emotional and physical intimacy is so attractive because of the energizing effect.

I’ve had extraordinarily rich conversations with men with college degrees and men without. What they are isn’t classically book smart, it’s a bit of different sort of brilliance. There are so many forms of brilliance but the true spark occurs when one remark ignites an idea or thought in the other person. Two logs burning in a fire feeding off of each other in a synergistic bath of fulfillment. Intoxicating…

Disappointment

The trouble with beautifully high expectations is the inevitable disappointment. If only I could arrive at a first date with no expectations.

The frustration of a potential lover turning out to be sub-ideal is depleting. What keeps me going is my belief and hope in possibilities. What makes it OK if things fall flat is my ability to be alone. For this reason, I won’t settle for less. I’d rather be alone than be in a mediocre (or worse) relationship. I can’t fake contentedness. It’s too draining, but I can wait for extraordinary.

How high are your expectations? What ideals do you hold fast to? Can you wait for extraordinary or is the need for a partner too great?

Author Bio

Brenda Knowles honors, guides and encourages introverts and sensitive souls regarding their lifestyles and personal relationships on her website space2live.net. She has a penchant for exploring the facets of intimacy and solitude. Brenda is trained in family mediation and is a certified Myers Briggs practitioner. INFP. She can be seen encouraging introverts to be true to their nature here in a video Soul Biography.