How will you know when it is time to begin dating again? If you are a baby boomer and have been out of the dating scene for many years, you may be wondering if you will ever be ready to take that step and meet the right person again.

As we get older our lives become much more complicated. Dealing with work, raising children, caring for elderly parents, and thinking about our own health and retirement can be overwhelming under the best of circumstances. But you owe it to yourself to get on with your life and find that special person to share your life with. Here are some ways to get started if you are not sure you are ready for a new relationship.

• Find someone of the opposite sex, who is also single, to go with on a practice date one evening. Tell this friend that you want to start dating again and that you want to see what the experience will feel like. You can go to dinner and a movie and just get a feeling for what it is like to be alone with someone in this type of setting.
• If this feels right to you, ask your friends to suggest someone who may be available and interested in going on a date. Your friends are usually more than happy to set you up with someone they think would be right for you.
• Don't go too quickly. Think about the qualities you would like in a new person, and write them down. This gives you an opportunity to quantify the traits and characteristics of the person you may want to share your life with.

If you are serious about wanting a new relationship, you will know it after you have taken the steps I have listed above. You will know because of the way you feel. Always think about how you are feeling and let that be your guide to starting a new relationship of any kind.