Hey Garrett- Good for you man, get out there and date ! Grease your wheels buddy ! After my divorce in 2003 from my then wife and I left the JW cult in the same year - I was single for several years until I finally met Mrs. Flipper in 2006. So I dated a variety of ladies, a couple relationships lasted awhile, one lasted about a year and a half and another one about 4 months. Sometimes it takes awhile to find THE person who you will end up settling down with that really matches well with you - but it takes putting yourself out there and experiencing meeting new people.
I met some of these ladies at antique stores, nightclubs ( which isn't the best place to meet someone who will last ) and through online dating at E-Harmony .com which I'll tell you more about in a bit. I did mention my experiences as a JW and told them I had moved on, it was a part of my past and viewed it as a learning experience. It felt really freeing to be able to date who I wanted to date without the WT organization telling me to only date a JW . Felt VERY freeing. It certainly opens up your possibilities for sure ! I met a lot of nice ladies, and by gaining that dating experience you gradually learn more about yourself and WHAT or WHO you will feel comfortable with- and WHAT or WHO you would not find comfort with.
Now - In regards to E-Harmony.com it worked really well for Mrs. Flipper and myself. They give you an E-mail account initially so you can E-mail each other in a safe way at first over their E-mail system and you don't even have to divulge your personal E-mail at first until you become comfortable getting to know a person. If you end up NOT feeling comfortable with a prospective love interest - you can hit the delete button and that person just gets removed from your E-harmony list of people you are checking out. No harm, no foul. Pretty cool.
When E-harmony matches you up they match you up with someone who has similar interests, values, and they go based on what each of you have answered in the pre-registration multiple choice questions or surveys. So you know right off the get go that you are probably getting to know someone who has similar values as you. Which is better in my opinion than dating someone for a year or two and they mask who they are then you find out you've wasted two years with someone who hid their real likes and dislikes or real personality from you. Been there, done that - it ain't a fun experience . Waste of time.
So I highly recommend Online dating, especially E-Harmony as they really try to set you up with people who are similar in interests and values to yourself. Hey Mrs. Flipper and I have been together over 9 years now- so we must have done something right ! LOL ! I wish you the best of luck in your dating experiences, don't rush to any quick decisions with any one person, take your time, enjoy yourself - enjoy the experience. You'll learn a lot not only about yourself- but other people. Take care, feel free to PM me if you want to chat some more ! Peace out, mr. Flipper