Heather Dugan - Date Like a Grownup: Anecdotes, Admissions of Guilt & Advice Between Friends

Date Like a Grownup: Anecdotes, Admissions of Guilt & Advice Between Friends examines both the bad and the lucky choices of men and women in their second single lives. Unlike many other relationship manuals, this book will not guide you through game playing and winning temporary partners. Instead, readers will develop a personalized strategy for building a life foundation that facilitates growing a right fit relationship. Topics include: effective filtering, social media and online dating, how to avoid isolation and strategically building a larger social network. Engaging narratives such as Parking Lot Apology, The Percocet Proposal and Need Meets Greed provide the punctuating proof for specific dating principles outlined in the book.

While organized to carry the reader through initial decisions into their practical implementations, feel free to use this book as a reference tool and skip around to your own points of interest. The subtitles are intended to allow the reader easy access to timely informationand, hopefully, inspiration. The From the Field anecdotes can be welcome confirmation that we are not alone in making the occasional bad decision, and that we neednt wallow in our failures any longer than necessary to grab our essential lessons and move on to better.

And with at least half of the adult population attempting a do-over on their most committed relationshipand many getting it wrong yet a second timethese proven dos and donts are first date gold for men and women navigating midlife dating and vicarious entertainment for thankful sideline observers.

REVIEWS

Praise for Pickup in Aisle Twelve

Dugan takes you on a heart-felt and often hilarious journey in dating from chance meetings in grocery aisles to online dating disasters and everything in-between. Dugan is charming, witty, and original.Nina Munteanu, author of Darwins Paradox

Heather Dugan has done an outstanding job of capturing some of the choices, challenges and even occasional humor of life after divorce in the age of digital dating. You will root for Angie to find the right person, and her journey offers fresh insights into the Mars and Venus worlds in which men and women often orbit. Dennis Hetzel, author of Killing the Curse and Executive Director of the Ohio Newspaper Association

Heather Dugan does a great job of being wryly funny, while poking fun of the pitfalls and awkward situations involved in this shark- and quirky guy-infested world of online and blind dating. Her insight expands into family relationships and is quite poignant at times. Laura Frongillo; Past editor at Salary.com and Creative Manager at Vista Print

Heather Dugans wit entertains the reader; but in a larger sense her clever humor removes the edge from the sharp, difficult issues Angie must confront in moving forwardmaking those issues easier to understand and process. Pickup in Aisle Twelve: Definitely worth reading! Looking forward to more lessons from Angie Wharton in Profile on Page Nine! Senior HR executive, Fortune 500 company

Praise for Stuffing Sandwiches Down My Shirt:
Strategies and Inspiration for Crutch Users

Stuffing Sandwiches Down My Shirt is a very practical and inspirational look at how to survive and excel in recovering from an injury or in this case, surgery. Ms. Dugan uses her upbeat humor to share her own thoughts and creative solutions to the very real challenges encountered during recovery from surgery. Dr. Christopher Hyer; DPM

Sandwiches is all about attitude with a capital A. This is more than a DIY manualits as if Heather becomes your personal mentor urging you to adopt your own yes, I can attitude. We know Attitude affects the healing process so thank you, Heather, for such an enjoyable and health-enhancing read. Monda Sue Prior; MSW, LICSW

This book will take you on Heathers journey from the hopelessness of not being able to run again to her spirited triumph over the many obstacles in her way. You will be inspired to put your own best foot forward enthusiastically when faced with challenges. Mark Dilworth; BA, PES; Fitness/health author

Thank yous from Salary.com readers

I have to tell you I enjoy your articles on Salary.com. Being a single dad, I can relate to all your home/work life balance articles and continue to remind myself of many of the things you mention. Thanks for telling it like it is.

Im sorry for the TMI message *laugh*. But you really inspired me! I do like your writing and common sense. So thanks, Heather.

I loved this advice. My life at 54 with adult daughters living at home has had a big shift since they were little. I am about to go back to full-time at work after a year of part-time, and anxiety is already creeping in. Thanks for the reminders.

What a terrific article! Even though I recently adjusted my career to stop working 24/7 so that I could be there more for my children, I was (unpleasantly) surprised to find that there still arent enough hours in the day! Your advice was solid, practical, and much appreciated! And Im sharing it with my husband!

"Loneliness makes fools of us all."

INTRODUCTION

IN MANY WAYS dating as an adult is easier. That whole who will I be when I grow up thing is fairly established, and it wont be necessary to endure a semester of algebra with the creep who stood you up for Homecoming. And, best of all, nobody smells like Clearasil.

Howeverhearts remain fragile, trust is no longer effortless and building any sort of relationship must be done in between parenting and work obligations.

It will challenge you.

Whether you choose to brave an office romance, meet someone over weight sets at the gym or go the online route, youre encountering men who have been shaped by a lifetime of experiences that you werent a part of. They may be completely out of your social circle, so theres no double-checking amongst your friends. You can Google the hell out of them and check their recommendations on LinkedIn, but none of that will tell you how he treated the last woman he dated, if he calls his mom and if he knows what science class his daughter is taking.

Many of my women friends feel forced to be detectives, sultry sirens and accomplished professionals over a single cup of coffee. Most of the time, the biggest spark comes from the caffeine. Occasionally, however, theres a click. Maybe