Follow Your Soul As It Leads: Jul 8, 2008

Success Stories: "I met my best friend, soul mate and partner for life." By Marcy M., 43, Beaverton, Michigan

I have finally met my soul mate and life partner after 43 years. I had used Yahoo! Personals for four years. I met a few people who I dated, and many friends. This time, I was not looking for a relationship -- I had just gotten out of one. I was only looking for a friend. My daughter and I were moving 150 miles away, to try to change our lives. I just wanted to meet someone to show us around, hang around with, and have a friend in our new neighborhood.

Couldn't stop talking - I started chatting with Craig before I moved. Once we started talking we couldn't stop. We found out we had so much in common and it was unbelievable how we even thought the same things, had the same outlook and feelings about life. It was kind of scary how much we thought and felt alike -- it all actually sounded too good to be true. We chatted every day for six weeks before we finally met in person. I took my brother and my daughter with me to the restaurant to meet him for the first time.

Once we met in person, we didn't stop seeing each other, and we were together almost every day. We discovered we did not want to be just friends and had found love. One month later we moved in together, and one year later we were married. May 27, 2006, was our wedding date. We wrote our own vows and said a thank you to Yahoo!. We had a beautiful day, and all our friends and family were there. I want to thank you, Yahoo!, for making my move the best move of my life and for helping me to meet my best friend, soul mate, and partner for life.

Success tips from Marcy:
Don't give out personal information. When you find someone you are interested in, make your first meeting in a public place. Have someone else with you or let someone know where you will be, and call them before and after the meeting. I never had any bad luck, but we all know there are not so good people out there. Caution is best!

Talk for a while before you plan to meet, don't be in a hurry. Really try to get to know someone through chatting. You can find out a lot about a person.

First date: We went to a restaurant and had dinner and a drink.

Success Stories: "I almost deleted Ms. Right!" By Paul S., Goose Creek, South Carolina

As a single full-time father of two, I didn't have time to go out and meet new people. And you get tired of the bar scene anyway. My best friend suggested Yahoo! Personals. I signed up just to see if I would get any replies.

When I started out, I was open to meeting all kinds of women, and my profile reflected that. But I found it difficult to connect with women who weren't parents themselves. They just didn't understand what I was going through.

Changed my profile - After a few months, I decided to be more specific. I updated my profile to say I wanted to meet only women who also had children. The responses slowed down, but those who did reply could relate to my situation.

Each week I received updates of potential matches and only emailed a few people. To be honest, I was so busy that after a while I began deleting most of the updates. One day I received my update and marked it for deletion. For some reason I had to rush out of the house and never deleted the update. When I returned home and checked my email, I decided to look at the profiles on the update. As I read one, I was shocked. It was worded almost identically to mine. She was a single mother of two and wanted someone who understands children.

Fell in love with her personality - Sharolyn and I emailed each other for about two weeks and then exchanged numbers. That first night we talked from 9 until 3:30 in the morning. Every night for the next few weeks, we spoke on the phone for at least three hours. I fell in love with her personality before I ever met her in person. We finally set plans for our first date....WOW!!!! It was love at first sight for both of us. That night was the best night of my life. I had found the woman of my dreams.

Sharolyn and I were married on June 27. Now we live with our new family - her two kids and my two kids. I remember telling my mother, 'I want to find someone who makes me forget about the everyday hustle and bustle, who makes me smile from ear to ear.'" I found her. Sharolyn inspires me. Ever since our first date, I have been writing poems to her about whatever is in my heart at the time.

Meet Sharolyn and Paul up close and personal: See their video

Tips from Paul
Profile Creation: Use the "About Me" section in your profile to tell people who you really are. Write from the heart and show some feeling. Get specific about your likes and dislikes. You'll attract more successful matches.

Dating for Single Parents: Let your relationship grow before introducing your children. When you do reach that point, kids are your best barometer if it's "right." They will see the person for who they really are. My daughter was always jealous of the women I dated, but she warmed up to Sharolyn right away.

Read Your Matches By Mail: Check every email update. You just never know who you might find. Take it from me -- I almost deleted Ms. Right!

Take Your Time: When you get many email responses quickly, it's tempting to fall in love fast.

Don't jump into an exclusive relationship. Explore all your options - that's what this is about, meeting new people.

Being Single Getting You Down? The 10 best things you can do to pick yourself up By Judy Bolton and Wendy Bolton Floyd

You may be feeling down about being single right now, thinking that you must have a partner beside you to go out and have some fun. But remember, you used to have fun before you ever started dating, so you know you are a fun person.

What's a single person to do?

Here are 10 things that are more fun to do while you're single:

1. Get a makeover.

2. Book your dream vacation.

3. Go shopping, but no excessive shopping.

4. Go to a spa.

5. Do physical activities to get endorphins going. Do things you have been yearning to try (rock climbing, hiking or skydiving).

6. Treat yourself to junk and comfort foods.

7. Speak with friends and trusted family members about your feelings.

8. Sign up for classes.

9. Challenge yourself to participate in activities that most perceive as couple activities, such as going to the movies or dining out.

10. Meet new people, but don't start a new romantic relationship too early. Try online dating or speed dating.

The 10 Best Things About Being Single By Wendy Bolton Floyd and Judy Bolton

Singles often feel left out in our couple-driven society. Whenever you're tempted to feel down because of your singularity, remember these reasons why flying solo can be the best way to go:

1. You can make last-minute plans with your friends and stay out all night if you want.

2. You can lie on both sides of your bed and have all the covers to yourself.

3. You can flirt with the opposite sex without someone saying, "Who are you looking at?"

4. You can make your own decisions.

5. You don't have to remember your significant other's birthday or anniversary.

6. You have no one to clean up after.

7. You can leave the toilet seat permanently up if you're a man, or permanently down if you're a woman.

8. You can make a list of things you always wanted to do...and actually do them.

9. You can listen to your favorite radio station in the car.

10. You can actually hold on to the remote control.