Turning 60 - YUCK

Well it had to happen. I was born in 1949 so it was inevitable - I couldn't avoid turning 60 this year. How did this happen? When I turned 55, it bothered me.......but didn't depress me to the same degree. Now I do have to acknowledge that I really don't feel 60. I've been told by many people that I don't look 60 - don't act 60 and I definitely don't want to be 60. I've been denying my impending birthday in many ways both large and small. I have trouble remembering to take advantage of the senior discount at restaurants. I'm not counting the days until I retire. I enjoy the challenge of working and don't want to give that up.



So, this weekend I went on a vacation to Key West with some friends. We had a great time. The son of one of my co-workers lives in Key West and he showed around to all the local haunts. We went on a sunset cruise. It was fantastic. Key West is a magical place. Everyone is exactly what they want to be there and I admire that in people. The only thing that could have made this better was sharing it with a lover/soul mate.



So........I am again jumping into the pursuit of a lover, friend, soul mate. But this time I've over 60 years old - as hard as that is for me to believe that simple fact.



Wish me luck!

Renaissance Festival

Labor Day Weekend - It was very busy. Started out with my first visit to the Renaissance Festival. Met my friends - drank too much wine - bought feather clips for my hair- got a henna tattoo - I had a fabulous time!!!! As I was enjoying the people watching I couldn't help but wonder if one of the millions of people wandering the Festival were one of my matches.

This brings up another concern. I did have a very fully weekend - my granddaughter spent the night on Saturday since her family was in Au Gres - which made me the chief chauffeur for the weekend. Sunday - I went to the Flint Institute of Art for a glass exhibit and then lunch. On Labor Day - I took Mom and Hannah to the movies. Where am I going to find time for romance.

Since my divorce I've got had a couple of relationships, but they were more "friends with benefits" than romance. No strings - no long term commitments.

I am always over-analyzing things. I need to take it one day at a time.......................

Screening Criteria

I've received my first batch of "matches". As I look at their pictures and read their profiles, I find it very difficult to see myself meeting these people. I know it's terribly unfair. I know how difficult it was to answer the questions. I know how hard it is to find the pictures to post. I had a couple of pictures on my computer, but since I hate to have my picture taken, there aren't many. So, I enlist the aid of a friend at work and ask her to take some pictures. We find a couple we agree don't make me look retarded. So I send them to my daughter, who calls up laughing. She says, "they are OK, but it's your "I hate having my picture taken" face. I need to find some candid shots - but that's difficult since I hide from cameras. I didn't realize this would be difficult on so many different levels.

Let's see - I have to come up with some kind of criteria to use when sorting through the matches. OK - I hate fishing. So I rejected anyone who said fishing was one of their passions.
I'm hesitant to accept matches from anyone whose passion is golf. I tried golf. Golf courses are beautiful places. I like driving the golf carts. In the winter, it would be a wonderful place to visit. So I thought - take lessons - how hard can it be??? Turns out that it's much harder than you'd ever expect. It is very humiliating that I can't hit the golf ball. It's stationery, sitting on the little golf tee and when I swing - I'd swear that ball moved. After several lesson, I gave up and decided golfing wasn't for me. Anyhow I digressed...................

I found 3 matches who sounded interesting and sent them questions - but I was rejected - They closed my match. Now I know how it feels. E-Harmony is definitely persistent. when I open my e-mail there are 6 more matches. So, onward I go..........

Frst Steps

After receiving the "heart to heart" e-mail from my daughter............I decided to take the leap. I signed up on an Internet Dating Site. The HORROR!!! I'm Terrified!!!! On the outside I look like confident, together, intelligent woman - on the inside it's a totally different story........

I've been divorced for 12 years and have been very happy with my life as it is. I have very close girl friends who I spend time with - going to dinner, the movies, and vacations. My son lives out of state and I visit him and his family a couple of times a year. I have a great, challenging job and work with wonderful people - I volunteer - I'm a busy person. But as I edge closer and closer to my retirement years, I see that my wise daughter is correct. It is possible that there is a great man out there waiting to meet me.

So - I went to a popular web site. Completed the profile and waited for my matches to arrive. Arrive they did - I received the first 6 matches. To my disappointment most of them were between 62 and 70. Oh my goodness - I'm having trouble realizing I'm over 50 (and I substantially past the 50 land mark), so dating a 70-year-old seems totally out of the question. So I change my "potential match age range" and hope for the best.

Stay tuned for what comes next......................