GLORIA, 57 from MICHIGAN asks:
I met this wonderful guy online. We’ve been talking mostly all day for 6 months. We have discussed our lives and our likes and dislikes, but we have not met each other yet. He says he loves me and wants me in his life. I also feel I love him. Do you think it’s possible to be in love with someone you haven’t met before? Thank you, Gloria.

I believe it's possible to be enchanted or even smitten by someone you chat with online, but I do not think that whatever feelings you have are feelings of love in the traditional sense. What you are feeling is what I call "the option of endless possibilities". Let me explain.

If someone blindfolds you and says he's taking you shopping for your birthday gift, you'd think he's buying a diamond, a car, an expensive dress, take you to the finest restaurant in town, fly you to Jamaica for a romantic getaway, etc. The normal reaction is to think of the best gifts because the option of endless possibilities allows you to think so.

If, on the other hand, he says: "Honey, let's got to Sears for your birthday gift", your possibilities for what you can get are limited. Dreaming and fantasizing isn't likely to enter the picture (unless getting a dishwasher is your idea of bliss).

So, chatting with someone online, opens the door to the option of endless possibilities. Of course, you want him to be your Prince Charming and guess what? In your mind he starts fitting that part. It's not just because he may be saying the right things, it's mostly because you start filling in the blanks with thoughts of perfection.

But we humans are very phsysical beings. We need to touch, smell, see... and none of those can happen until you're face to face. Does he chew with his mouth open? Is he a cheap tipper? Does he have tics, sayings, or gestures that annoy you? Does he have body odor? Does he dress nicely? Does he walk 5 feet in front you? Does he pick his nose in front of you? I could go on but I think you get the idea.

No, you're not in love; you're in love with the option of endless possibilites. Until you spend some time with him in person, you're no more in love with him than I am with Annie Reed (Meg Ryan's character in Sleepless in Seattle).

I suggest you arrange to meet in person as soon as possible.

I answered a similar question in Ask A Guy. Not all of it aplies to you, but most of it does. You can check it here.