It's the disappointment. You talk with someone via messenger and email and maybe the phone a couple of times and you begin to form this idea of who they are based entirely on the non-visual. You have a photo, you might have a lot of photos, but the photos are just 2-D representations of something that is 3-D, and that never translates well.

Actors and models look completely different in true life than they do on camera. It's always a bit of a let down when you see celebrities in person, because you realize that they are just that - a person.

But with dating, you have a little bit of hope. You have an investment, no matter how small, in the hope that this is a person you are going to adore, and moreover, they are going to adore you.

So it's scary because the potential for massive let down is huge.

You can tell yourself, don't get your hopes up, don't get too excited, just take it as it comes, but you wouldn't have to give yourself that disclaimer pep talk unless you were already feeling excited and hopeful.

This is where I am.

And man, it's a terrifying view from here.