Spring is in the air in Chicago, and the streets are abuzz with activity. No, not even a pandemic can curtail (most of) us at the first signs of glorious sun + a threshold above 50 degrees! To Chiberians, 50 degrees in the sun is practically 80, and it is heaven. The nice weather brings about an entire mood shift in the population, which can basically be summed up as:
And a side effect of this mood shift is dating activity. As in, I've had six dates within the last two weeks! As compared to maybe five over the last several months. Unfortunately none of these were a match, but that's a different blog post for a different day. What I AM here to tell you about is my new dating strategy, discovered this weekend!
It started with me getting stood up for a date on Saturday night. NOT COOL. Two things you must know about me: 1) I take plans seriously, especially being a busy gal & 2) I love efficiency and by virtue of this, really dislike anything (or anyone) that wastes time. Therefore, this got me fired up. Plus, Saturday nights are precious material! When it was clear I would not be meeting up with [$#*@%^(!], I tried to remedy the situation by inviting another Bumble suitor out for a casual drink, given it was "too beautiful an evening" to stay inside. It was a long shot, but what the heck! And sure enough, I saw the little yellow app bubble light up with a notification. We planned to meet at 9 PM as he was already out with a friend, though 9 PM turned into 9:30 and I was well into a movie and bag of Sour Patch Kids at that point. Not gonna happen. But all was not lost, because it led to a coffee date...this morning.
Now don't get me wrong, I've been on a coffee date or two in my time. However, on those dates, we got coffee and sat in the coffee shop, because why wouldn't you? But these days, though restrictions have definitely loosened here, it still feels like more of a 'grab & go' situation.
One cinnamon mocha latte and five miles later, I was home, and realized the genius of what had happened! Look, coffee's a non-negotiable for me in the mornings. I especially like to treat myself to one fancy coffee a week, typically on the weekend, because #savor. And since I teach class on Saturday and am busy all morning prepping my routine and bouncing away, it's gotta be Sunday. So if this is something I'm going to be doing anyway, why not bring someone along and get some exercise?
I often lament to my girlfriends that guys don't really take you for dinner anymore. Which most times, is actually okay with me because I can barely stand some of these men for a drink, let alone dinner. But sometimes that leaves you getting cocktails more than you want, as in the past couple weeks, when I've had a full roster. Not that you can't go on a date and order a Diet Coke, but, that feels like it'd invite some questions (and frankly I don't feel like discussing with or defending myself to a stranger).
And in addition to the drink debacle, it often feels like you waste a whole night when you go out with someone in the evening. One drink feels like rushing things along, so you stay for two, and before you know it - between transportation there and back - sometimes it's a 2-3 hour ordeal. But today, I was home by 11 AM, with my whole day ahead of me. I had a definitive reason to end the date (better get home before the coffee runs through me and I have to pee!), on my terms, and my time. No waiting on slow servers, getting stuck hearing Chad talk about Peloton for another 15 minutes. No fancy outfit or makeup prep needed. And no one having to shell out a bunch of money to know within a few minutes that this wasn't meant to be.
Some people go to church on Sunday morning, but I have faith of a different kind. That is, the faith in the nectar of the gods to bring me one step closer to true love - without giving up a ton of my life in return!
I'm curious to hear what you think of my game plan and if you've had any A-HA moments when it comes to dating strategies. Let me know in the comments.
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