I Start Dating

Here we go again. I'm going to start dating online, and I want to keep a record of the experience, because I don't know many women over age sixty who have the courage to do this. I've just joined Match because I'm tired of being alone for years now, and like so many others in my position, I don't know how else to meet men.

It's not like I haven't done this before, and that's what scares me. I'm all too familiar with the rising hopes, the sadness when I confront the reality of who's out there, the humiliation of rejection before I'm even given a chance to meet, and the sheer boredom of wasting my time in trivial conversation with men who don't attract me. Too bad. It's part of the process, and it has to be done, like check-ups at the dentist. Except that's not a good analogy, because after my teeth are cleaned, I feel good, healthier than before, having gotten a concrete result with minimal time and effort (though more money). I can't say that about dating: on the contrary, I often feel a little dirty after these encounters online. And I don't mean in a good way, because I wouldn't touch most of the men I see with the proverbial ten-foot pole. It doesn't raise my opinion of mankind much, either.

But hey, hope is that thing with feathers that flaps around no matter what nasty and pessimistic thoughts I have. So here goes, and we'll see if my experience this summer lives up to my cynicism.