I am grateful that our time together made me so sure that being who I am is right.

Girl Talk: Dating A Man With Autism Taught Me To Be Myself | The Frisky:

"In some ways, even though they feel like a blur, I think I learned more about myself in those three months with Paul than I did in all my years of dating. I learned that the freedom to be completely myself, flaws and all, is something I absolutely need in a relationship. Being with Paul for that brief period, feeling so accepted for who I was, at my most intense and open, confirmed that for me. So even though I have moments of anger over how quickly Paul used that openness against me and declared it somehow wrong, I am grateful that our time together made me so sure that being who I am is right."

The Elongated Date

Dating Fact: At A Certain Point, A Long First Date Actually Becomes A Second Date

This is an interesting concept. I like it. A first date can become a 2nd ... 3rd ... and so forth ... date even though they're all in the same sitting.

By this definition, I have been on many elongated dates ... especially in my previous relationships. In those relationships, the guys did not live in the same city as I, and thus, making elongated dates more likely. We would often spend entire weekends together before we were "official." Also, elongated dates can be really fun. If you're having a great time with someone, why cut it short because it's only the first date? Seems silly to me. The lines can, and often do, get murky with these long dates. These long dates can make you feel like you're moving too fast; but by spending all this time together, you're naturally connecting in a deeper level than just going out for coffee for an hour.  So, I like this idea. I like it that just because you've only have technically have only had one date doesn't mean that you're only on date number one; you could easily be on date number 3 or 4 after your outing together.