About 6 weeks ago, I walked into my local Walgreens to pick up new sunglasses and a pre-workout supplement. It was a sunny Saturday morning at around 10:00 A.M. The weather was just starting to improve and it was unseasonably nice outside. I also had a little hitch in my step. The boxes for my weekly work out goals were all checked. The workweek went very well and I accomplished all of my tasks. Most importantly, I felt great and had a lot of energy. I walked in, proceeded toward the specialized nutrition section and turned the corner around the shelves and boom. Waiting in line by the pharmacy counter was a woman that appeared to be around my age and she was visually attractive. She wore a polyester black Nike hoodie, athletic leggings, and tennis shoes. She had reddish-brown hair and a slightly pale complexion, she looked familiar but I certainly did not know her. Immediately, she drew my attention. My first internal reaction in a split second was "Holy shit, this is really your best chance at this ever. You look and smell good, you're wearing some of your best clothes and your overall mood and energy are very high. No excuses, DO IT." After months of telling myself to keep my eyes open and if I see an opportunity, pounce, a perfect opportunity seemingly fell into my lap.

I see her and start moving beyond the nutrition section, but in the next three seconds, things turn completely around. The closer I moved toward her, the more the pressure mounted. Every step was like a machine press cranking down. When I found myself becoming very near her, I hesitated. Like a 747 nearing the landing strip in complete disarray. I aborted the approach. I walked around her and moved toward the sunglasses. Once I reached the glasses stand, I started looking around the aisles. "She is probably still around here somewhere, hopefully, she hasn't left yet," I said to myself in my head. She had one elderly man in front of her in line, I might still have a chance. I walked around for a few minutes and sure enough, she was nowhere to be found.

I went back to the glasses stand, found a pair and grabbed what I needed and headed for the checkout. When I reached the checkout, the elderly cashier asked if I had any plans for the weekend. "Unfortunately, no I don't," I remarked. When I got back into my car I was so pissed at myself. I had that one teed up perfectly for me, I could have set something up later that evening on a nice Saturday night. A dinner date and or a night out at the local pubs/bars, on me. All she had to do was have a free meal or free drinks and talk about herself. A total win-win for her. I let another opportunity slip away. It was like I had a 3 run lead at home in game 7 with the closer on the mound, but blew the game anyway. I turned the key, drove down the road and told myself to calm down. I'll have plenty of opportunities and I'll have all spring and summer to finally do something I've never done before. No big deal.

Flash forward to today and it has been 12 days since IL has issued a stay at home order. Bars, restaurants, theaters, and social events all closed. You can't really make conversation with anyone as you must try to maintain a 6 feet barrier between yourselves at all times. With the current state of this pandemic, it appears it will get worse before it gets better. With no clear end in sight, and projections as far as fall of next year before a return to normal, a tinge of total regret draws high. But I keep a positive outlook. If anything this motivates me even more than before. Stop taking these approach opportunities for granted. I have no idea what tomorrow will look like and what can happen. The more I kick the can down the road and tell myself that there will always be a tomorrow, the more I jeopardize stunting my growth with developing meaningful relationships with women I find attractive. Keep a positive outlook, but never fall under the assumption that these opportunities are limitless.