“I miss when we use to meet people outside of an app.”

I kind of did a social experiment and I also was a bit curious on what the hype is with dating apps. And this isn't an advertisement, I’ve not partnered with any apps. So I downloaded a popular dating app and one of my guy friends actually set it up for me, he arranged my profile, selected my pictures, and helped me with the captions. Then I let it do what it does. Within the first 24 hours I had over 100 messages from the app. There were men giving me compliments, asking me to dinner, wanting to speak to me, asking me more questions about myself. It was really overwhelming. Keep in mind, I didn't download the app to really date anyone, I just wanted to see why a lot of people resort to this. With the messages I got, I can see why women like dating apps, but I’m not so sure what the hype is for men.

My friend showed me how to go through the profiles and x-out the men. And as we were going through it, I noticed how many men like to post pictures of themselves fishing/hunting, going to the gym, being shirtless, or showing off money or cars. And let me tell you, I don’t know what the thought behind those pictures are, but those aren't appealing to me. And I was telling another guy friend about the pictures and he even say, “That’s not going to get your attention.” SIDEBAR: I love it when my friends, especially my guy friends, know me well enough to know what attracts me and what doesn't.

Although, I do understand a picture only tells a small part of a story, and because I’m not really invested into dating apps, my opinions are probably null and void. I did have a few nice conversations, but soon realized, I was just wasting time instead of really being interested in anyone. I am very much the type of person who rather just meet someone authentically and we slowly start to get to know each other. I think the whole idea of putting yourself online and pretty much giving a resume about yourself is kind of ……. But with that being said I know there’s been plenty of relationships and marriages that were a result of dating apps and meeting people through social media. I just don’t think I have the personality type to do that.

I rather have a scenario of boy sees girl, boy says hi to girl, they exchange numbers, they talk, they spend time together, and they decide whether it's something special or not. Is that too much these days? And those of you who are on dating apps, I’m not saying there's anything wrong with it or that you need a new mode of meeting people, I’m just saying it’s not for me. If it's working for you, then continue on and share with me how well it’s going and maybe you can convince me to take it seriously!

I’m a woman of a certain age and I’ve never not valued companionship it’s just been hard for me to balance it. And I don’t know it I’ve shared this already, but I’m coming into a more graceful time of my life, I still have moments where I may get beside myself, but now I take more time to process things and give myself and others more patience. There's still things I have little tolerance for, but I don’t hold in or hold on to frustration as much as I used to. I would like to have a lover who appreciates that about me, who maybe has seen me or understands my different phases. I want to be or become someone who makes someone else forget their dark moments, who’s genuinely happy to see me and spend time with me and who is open to hearing my thoughts about various topics. Don't get me wrong, I love sharing things with you guys, but I’d like to have someone who stands apart from the rest and supports my willingness to be graceful and love towards people even to people who don’t give it back.

Be safe everyone.