Summer Romance: Overwhelmed with Dating Options
Living in the 21st century means you have options. Lots of them. A top of the line cell phone? Pick one of ten. A can of soda? First decide which flavor then which brand. A prospective boyfriend? Well, try joining an internet dating site.
I imagine women have quite a different online dating experience than men. After all, the women are the ones pursued.
I’m currently on an online dating site popular amongst young adults who have either (a) broken up with a long-term significant other from their college days or (b) moved to a new city and know no one. Most people are not looking for marriage. A steady boyfriend or girlfriend, perhaps. The majority are angling for something fun with someone for more than one night.
The problem isn’t meeting people. The problem is not meeting people. One witty quip in your “About Me” section, or an attractive-seeming photo will garner a young lady at least ten messages a day. Sure, some are pretty creepy: “Yo ur hot wanna video chat?” But, for the most part, the messages and cyber come-ons are reasonable enough. It's not very difficult to determine which guys are freakshows, and which ones are promising young gents.
That’s the other problem: lots of promising young gents.
In the past few weeks, I’ve engaged in some very witty banter and intelligent conversation with an aspiring doctor at one of the world’s best medical campuses, a lawyer, a Fulbright fellow, and a chef at an up-and-coming restaurant just featured in a nationally televised program. I’ve also started seeing two very attractive, smart, worldly, fun young men. And therein lies my most recent dilemma: with so many great options, how do I choose?
I like both of these guys, for very different reasons. I’ve scaled back my internet bantering simply because it’s too much to date two people at once while trying to seem interesting and attractive to a handful of potential suitors.
While on the phone with my mother (who is 100% supportive of this new dating endeavor), we rationalized that it would be best – for now – to stop the online search. Right? I mean, that’s the key to doing or having anything worthwhile these days: choosing. Phone X might be great, but Phone Y seems better, so yes, take my card, I’ll have Y.
Unfortunately, a few days later, you start wondering if Phone X would have been the better choice after all. Apply this logic and indecisiveness to dating and you’re doomed to singledom for the rest of your days.
Cross your fingers that things progress with one of these two promising gents, because I’ve committed myself to something that is nearly impossible these days: affirmative decisiveness.
