Overcoming Shyness & Loving Lynn - A Memoir

This memoir is about my quest to overcome shyness and to find love. It's a love story. What makes this remarkable is that I was the who never had a girlfriend or went out on a date in high school. I spent five years getting a degree in engineering and only had two dates by my senior year. The most important thing I learned in undergrad school was social skills and how to overcome social anxiety or social phobia. I might have met the criteria for selective mutism because I was so quiet and never spoke in social situations.

It still seems like the guy is expected to ask the girl out - or as an adult, to ask the lady out. Imagine the burden that has placed upon me. You probably cannot imagine this. You might wonder what is the thing that I feared so much? Someone might say "no" and that might just mean that I am not their type or they are already seeing someone. A therapist asked if I have "rejection phobia." I suppose I do. A phobia is a fear of something that is way out of proportion to the actual danger or threat posed by something. This is one of the first things that makes this story unique and different. The other unique aspect of this book is the fact that the person I fell in love with had a shortened lifespan.

In this quest to find love, I was successful. I fell in love more than once. The first girl I ever loved was named Celta. I learned on New Year's day of 1991 that she died. I didn't think I could stop crying. I was able to heal and find love again.

It is possible to overcome shyness and to find love. I was very successful in this regard. I'd love to tell you that story. It's a love story about two people Lynn and Bruce. Two poets. Two people in love who wanted a normal life. If you thought that shyness was the only challenge in our lives, unfortunately, you would not know the full story. Anyway, I was in love. I was totally, completely, madly, in love.

This book is dedicated to Lynn Denise Krupey who died far too young.