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Lillie Mae

Source: Lillie Mae / Courtesy Of Lillie Mae

Don’t judge me, but yes I’m in my late 30’s and still believe in fairytales. I believe in dream dates, flowers, all-night conversations, and surprises. I believe in moments like the montage from Love Jones, when Nina and Darius frolicked through the park in the rain. I also believe in the magnetic “love at first sight” chemistry portrayed between the characters of The Photograph movie. Although I’m not oblivious to the challenges that come with partnership…I’m very much a hopeful romantic that believes love can be a beautiful, exciting unfolding.

I’ve always been an adventurous person and fully open to the magic of the Universe. So for me, it was an easy “Yes” when presented with the opportunity to participate in the Love is Blind experiment. I was totally excited by the concept of taking a break from the highly distracted nature of my day-to-day obligations, to be put in an environment that allows you to focus strictly on getting to know men who desire a serious relationship. We did not have cell phones, laptops, television or any other distractions throughout the entire process.

Another typical distraction that was removed from the dating equation with this experiment was appearance. Physical attraction is an obvious component of romantic chemistry, but many times we give it too much weight. I think everyone has the right to their natural preferences, but the “Tall, handsome, fit” standard hadn’t worked out for me in the past ….so why not be open to another approach? In this scenario, it would all be blind dating.

On day 1, upon meeting the female cast, my first impression was “wow everyone is fit and fine!” I soon learned that they were also funny, smart and sweet. A poignant reminder that singleness is a challenge across all ages, races, personality types and socioeconomic backgrounds. Once the blind dates started, I got a chance to chat with all 15 guys. For days we spent hours and hours just talking. If you’ve watched the show, you can see the raw emotion from many of the guys which further confirmed that they had a genuine desire for love just like us.

The most memorable pod moment was Carlton offering to pray at the end of our “date,” I thought that was so sweet! I remember Barnett being extra fun to talk to as well.  Overall I had some great laughs and in-depth conversations with all of the guys…but ultimately I didn’t feel a romantic connection or chemistry sparks with any.

Since the series premiered on Netflix, it has been so exciting to see some of my cast mates get their happily ever after. Even household names like Chrissy Teigen and Shonda Rhimes have tweeted about their excitement to see the connections happen. It’s all a reminder that at the end of the day, maybe I’m not the only one that believes in fairytales! If you are currently single, hold on to your standards and wait for the magic. Checkout out my new book “Dear Singlepreneur” at http://www.TheGlamCEO.com for tips on how to replace anxiety with peace, and how to replace annoyance with excitement during your single season.

Let’s also connect on Instagram: @iamLillieMae & @GlambitiousIAM

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I Participated In Netflix’s Dating Experiment ‘Love Is Blind’  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com