Blind Date

My best friend is going on a blind date tonight. She is dreading it, as she should. While the dating world has many opportunities for fun, blind dates are typically the lamest thing ever.

I get why blind dates are necessary. So and so knows someone who is just perfect for you and often times the only way to "meet" them is on the phone, then the dreaded face to face meeting is set up. You don't really want to go because blind dates are so lame but you don't want to miss out on possibly meeting your soulmate, so you go. And because so and so is your friend/aunt/co-worker/acquaintance, there is all of this pressure to like the person they set you up with. After all, they are perfect for you. So you go and meet the guy and he's not exactly what you pictured, but he's nice enough so you can work with it. Nervous pleasantries substitute real conversation and by the end of the date, you feel like you just walked off of a job interview instead of really getting to know someone. Then there's the awkwardness of saying goodbye. Do you hug, shake, offer to see them again? You don't really know what you want since you spent the last hour and a half making small talk with someone you never really pictured yourself with anyway. But he wasn't that bad and you don't want to end up alone, so you kind of make loose plans to maybe check out a movie the next week. Not that my best friend's date will be anything like that. I'm sure it will be lovely. 

I do not miss dating. I miss the excitement of going somewhere fancy with the person you're crazy about while dreaming about all of the possibilities of a life shared, but I don't miss the dating world. It's rough out there and I know my friend will find her way like I did. I just hope that she navigates with minimal blind dates. If not, I'm sure I know someone who is perfect for her. No pressure though...