The other day I announced on Instagram that we'd be starting a new Dating and Relationships Series following the adventures of Pooks, a fiery, smart, gorgeous-inside-and-out Boston-based friend of mine in who is in her early thirties, divorced, and after doing some self-reflection, is finally ready to start dating again.

We did a little survey on Instagram, and in it, I asked a bunch of dating and relationship questions in the hopes to uncover what sort of content you'd like Pooks to focus on. One of the questions I asked was what you guys were struggling with in your own relationships, and I was really surprised by the answers. I'm not sure what I expected, but I was taken aback by how many of you were struggling with self-confidence which was then trickling over into your romantic relationships and how many of you were disagreeing with your partners about the frequency of intimacy, among other things.

After reading the results of the survey, I realized we needed to dive deeper. While I'm still looking forward to Pooks writing about her new dating life, I'm also looking forward to discussing some of the more serious issues you guys are dealing with. It's my hope that by bringing the issues to light on the blog, it'll spark important conversations between all of us that'll hopefully be helpful to those struggling. I'm no relationship expert (understatement of the year), but I do think the lessons of yoga can be applied to any life situation and help provide clarity, so I'm happy to look at each situation from that perspective, as well.

Acknowledging that our community is diverse, I'm also hoping to bring in guest contributors from all different backgrounds with different experiences, who have been in or are in similar situations as those who are struggling, and I'm hoping to tap into the YBC® Community via instagram and here, for reader insight as well. It's my hope that the comments section will be a place of support, encouragement and advice for these posts, so please feel free to offer your two cents when the posts go live, beginning next month. The goals with this series are to share experiences, learn from others, have a good laugh once in a while, and ultimately develop a deeper connection within the YBC® community so that you know you're never, ever alone.

If you have a relationship struggle we should consider discussing on the blog, you can submit it here. We'll ask for your email address only because we may need to get in touch with you, but don't worry, you will remain anonymous when we post, promise.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the more lighthearted side of things. It's Valentine's Day. Some love it, some loathe it, and some don't really care either way. Me? I always think back to the lyrics from My Funny Valentine, and just think every day should have a little romance whenever possible. Either way, I think there's no better time than to read about people's best and worst dates. These were shared anonymously through the aforementioned survey we took. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget, you can always share yours below in the comments! Happy Valentine's day, if you celebrate. And if you don't, Happy Wednesday, my friends. It's a great day to have a great day. (Too much? Sorry. #cheesy #mmcheese)

The Best Dates from the YBC® Community

“We went to my favorite coffee shop and got lattes then walked around the beautiful neighborhood. It was during Christmas time and it started snowing - yes it was like a hallmark movie! And I ended up marrying him haha!”

“Sitting in the parked car listening to the radio and naming songs and singers and reminiscing on what those songs meant in our lives”

“I met up with a guy in Manhattan and we ended up walking down 5th avenue from just south of Central Park all the way to Washington Square Park. Then we headed west and sat on a bench along the Hudson for a couple of hours. Then, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise. It was unbelievable. We just walked and talked for hours and hours. So simple, but so incredible”

“Spontaneously going to a too-fancy for us steakhouse and going all out on the menu with no regrets”

“Going geocaching for the first time with my girlfriend”

“Scavenger hunt style, let to finding the ingredients to make homemade mojitos with a picnic at my favorite park”

“Probably when I was 19 and visiting my now husband at his parents house over summer break. He planned a whole day for us: started with a hike out to an empty beautiful beach, took me out for seafood, followed by sunset walk.”

The Worst Dates from the YBC® Community

“First place: An evening in New York City. He ended up bursting into tears in a crowded bar, telling me he was a bad son and also that he loved me. (It was our second date.) Second place: I brought a guy up to my apartment for a nightcap. After I quickly used the bathroom, I came out to find him in his boxers on my couch and having helped himself to a beer from my fridge. Even though I was unimpressed, I had sex with him anyway. It was done in three minutes and he left because he “needed to do laundry”.”

“When I was 15 I was supposed to go on a double date with a boy and his friend, so I brought my friend along. He didn’t end up bringing a friend, so the whole thing was just super super awkward. He also showed me his pocket knife halfway through the movie????”

“Took me 2 hours away to a concert I didn’t know any music to”

“The guy took me out to dinner and talked about computers and his sister the whole time.”

“He was a Trump supporter and didn’t believe in climate change.”

“Homeboy talked about his mom for 2 hours (no lie) and then kissed me, even though I was stiff arming him.”

“An ex boyfriend took me to dinner, yelled at a waiter because they got his order wrong, then yelled at them again because there was a hair on the table cloth that looked like a cat hair. It was humiliating for me to be associated with him that night. Then he got mad at me for me saying that he was being rude. I cried. It was a mess!”

“Went to a renaissance festival and got really drunk from drinking all day and eating nothing. I felt embarrassed and sloppy, though I’m sure it’s exactly what the guy was hoping would happen. He was a creep.”