Peter goes speed dating…

Yesterday I did something that was clearly out of my comfort zone: I went speed dating.

There are a few reasons why I chose to do this, and one of them being this particular event being held in my city was only for people who are ages 40-55. Considering that I’m smack dab in the middle at 47, this seemed like a good idea to partake. Thanks to the pandemic and the confusion and chaos that came with it, getting out and meeting people has been more difficult than ever before. So, while I was hesitant to do this… I chose to give it and try and have faith there are still some good people out there that might want to hang out with yours truly.

I made an effort to put my best foot forward, dressing nicely and even getting a haircut to look my best. That whole thing about not getting a second chance to make a first impression was important to me, hence the effort to be presentable. I did my best to talk about basic stuff and avoid all hot topics, as I wanted to get to know people rather than start debates.

The event started at 7pm and lasted until almost 9pm, as we got 5-7 minutes at each table, speaking to open lady and then jumping to the next table when our time was up. The conversations were rather nice, and I met some nice people. Last night I was given a glimmer of hope that there were some nice women out there that were looking just like I was.

That hope was dashed the next day, when the results (or lack there of) from the event were mailed to me: 0 matches. I had put a check next to over 80% of the people I had met that night, and none of them wanted to ever speak with me again. So the hope I had last night was basically tossed into the trash compactor and completely shredded.

While I am a little disappointed by the result, the truth is I am not surprised. One of the reasons for this is the fact that there were one or two groups of women who were attending the event together. Now I personally have nothing against this, but I got the impression a few of them were just there to tag along, and were not actually there to meet anyone. I could also tell by some people’s attitudes that every man got a no from certain participants.

Would I try this again? To be honest, I’m not really sure. I paid $33 for a ticket to participate in this event, and for that same price I could have treated myself to a decent dinner and a movie. Part of me thinks I should do that next time, as right now I feel like last night was a big, fat waste of time. I’m working very hard not to take this personally, but that’s easier said than done. I honestly thought things appeared to go well, but in the end I was either not their cup of tea or people were not genuinely looking for anyone in the first place.

Right now the attitude I am going to try to go with is nothing ventured nothing gained. Like Wayne always said, you are guaranteed to never score on the shots you don’t take. I made an effort. I tried. I failed. That’s better than never trying at all.

So, that’s how things went last night. I hope this doesn’t come across as negative, but if I does then apologies for it was not my intent.

Take care everyone, have a good week.

Peter