My foray into on-line dating has come to an end and I must say I'm glad it's over. But the experience wasn't a total loss, for I believe I better understand my fellow human beings now. To be fair, this wasn't my first venture into these waters; I first tried on-line dating 10 years ago. But back then it was an entirely different experience than today. (Back then I did meet someone that I dated off and on for about four years). That experience was on "Match.com" and things seemed a whole lot tighter- people were more cautious, more security conscious then. Some three years ago someone encouraged me to try eHarmony.com because they were so much more thourough in their matching criteria. The odds of meeting my soulmate were supposed to be greatly enhanced. So I gave it a try. I wanted to meet a good Christian woman who lived relatively close, who shared common interests. Seemed like it took forever but finally they sent me a "match". A beautiful blonde-haired nurse who lived a couple minutes away, who seemed to share similar likes and philosophies. We enjoyed a great year together- until I caught her stealing money from me... And lied about it. (Alas beautiful One, the nanny cam doesn't lie). Thanks eHarmony, but my fault for not stressing honesty as a pre-requisite... I guess I expected that to be a given.
One last fling on Match, signed up three months ago for 90 days, and I'm done with on-line dating. I found in three months, after several thousand viewings of my profile and numerous inquiries of interest, I found only three or four women that interested me. One met for coffee and talked about the men she met (not what I was interested!), one looked about 10 years older than her pictures, and one was a nice lady but just not a good connection... But one thing seemed to be common among those I met and/or corresponded with: Everyone is interested in finding a long-term relationship now. There seems to be urgency to establish something right away, but how do you love someone before you even know if you like them? That just isn't my thing. I need to take time to get to know someone, and it takes time before I let someone in to get to know the real me... I keep people at bay as I stay behind a facade of sharp wit and humor, not allowing them to experience my more sensitive side- the real "who" that I am until I feel a degree of safety with them... that just doesn't happen overnight. So, after wading through the lies, the married, the aggressive, and all the rest, I decided after a couple of months to hide my profile and just let my time run out. There's got to be a better way to meet a nice lady, to get to know someone special. I guess I tried it my way, now I'll just wait for God to bring that special person in my life... (Not to hurry you Father, but I've been looking for over a year now. I don't want to forget all dating ettiquette!).
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