Where's the way out?.....are we there yet ?

So....I've got a date......Ok.......Now let's consider some basic preparation......

What do girls worry about before a date? oh, the outfit, of course, the shoes, the make up, the hair, what to wear, what to wear, and what not to wear!

It is somehow more complicated for a compulsive hoarder, who has some serious phobias and an anxiety problem.

The first issue I have to deal with, is the phone, answering the phone has become more and more difficult, I used to answer it only when I recognised the number as "safe", this meant a few selected close friends, any unknown number would be frowned upon, I gave out my mobile number to only friends, but had also displayed it on  asocial networking site, so, as months went by,I grew weary of it, started believing thatabsolutely anyone could spy on me and get my phone number through my Facebook  page, avoidance settled in , and I got to the stage where I simply could not even switch on the phone without getting myself into a panic. Really hard to explain that to a potential new date, isn't it? So yesterday, I purchased a new phone, only a really cheap one, nobody has the new number yet, it will be used to communicate with only a few selected very close friends, under no circunstances will Idisplay it on Facebook, just what was I thinking , doing that in the first place?!....So, if I go ahead with the date, commmunication via the phone is now possible.     I remember once, missing out on a very good day out with my best friend , her phone was broken, our out of credit, so she tried contacting me using her husband's mobile, I did not recognise the number, so I freaked out, and never replied, I explained to her later on about the phone rituals, she knows now, not to use a different phone, or if she does so, she warns me vial an email the day before .     So that is the phone issue sorted for now, this is only a temporary solution, but it might help,keep in touch with the important people.

The second big problem I have to face is , how do let in a potential date for a coffee, when I have such a phobia of  opening the front door? This is likely to be an extremely difficult problem to solve, so then again, I have a temporary solution handy, I will tell him that the doorbell being broken( true) I will not always hear a knock on the door, specially if I 'm listening to music or watching TV, so it is best to text me coming round. Again, not an ideal solution, but that will do for the time being.

Now, now, that leaves me with a third problem, and a huge one, a mountain(litterally) : THE  MESS . It  is obvious I can not let anybody in while my appartment is in that state. So it will take a while before I can invite James in for coffee, and the most difficult will be finding acceptable excuses for not doing so. I have no choice now but to get on with it, it would take me a a whole week , working flat out every single day to make my place fit to recieve anyone for tea, but I haven't got that long, I have to return at sea tomorrow, for a whole week!  So I think I will do just my best, throw away what is really not wanted anymore, like dead plant or broken chairs, then stuff the rest ramdomly in the wardrobe, that will at least give me some floor space to hoover and dust, then, if I really get stuck, if I really need a boost, I might even consider hiring a helper, I never did that before, but why not do that, just for one day? just for a few hours, just to help me back on track.

I am glad someone asked me out, but feel a bit ovehelmed by all the preparation involved before I can go ahead, but I need to be strong, the world is less threatening when you have somebody by your side to help face it, so I must try and make the most of that oportunity.

I must get on with it, and do my best, that's all I can do.