As of today, July 8, 2024, I'm taking a one-year hiatus from all online dating apps. This site is an extension of an article I write for Westword a month ago, detailing my experiment with dating myself. While I had someone in the wings at the end of that self-dating period, that one never really panned out.
And once again, I'm negotiating whether to seek out a partner at all during this year. My thought is organically? Yes. Online? No way. According to pewresearch.org, only one-in-six Americans over age 50 (17%) and older say they have ever used a dating site or app. This sounds low to me. Maybe I'm an outlier. Whatever, this infernal desire to have a man in my life is really making me to start to question where my energy is going. Before jumping into anything again, it's time to just make peace with myself and start to reflect on what is making me to so desperately seek a partnership. There is so much there entangled together: the relationship industrial complex, a deep sense of satisfaction and joy in being partnered for thirty years, and my own ego. I will untangle this mess of chains, but it will occur out side the dating apps. They son't deserve my money or time at the moment.
So here's the deal: each day, I will take one photo of what I'm doing in lieu of wasting 30 minutes or more checking apps. I just don't have the strength for them right now. Today, i chose to take the remainder of the wedding flowers from my daughter Eleanor's leftover wedding flower supply and make a couple of bouquets for my home. So much beauty and a reminder of the wonderful day of celebration on my sister and brother-in-law's property in Colorado. Time well spent.
See you tomorrow.
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