On Life and Love After 50 eNewsletter – March 12, 2021
by Columnist Tom Blake
Senior dating: 10 tips for men
(this eNewsletter has been slightly edited for length and clarity)
David Southworth, a Michigan widower, has been a Champ for at least 20 years. A poem David wrote, called “The Sands of Time,” is on the Finding Love After 50 website (link provided below). It’s a heart-grabber.
David has often contributed to this eNewsletter, and he is doing so again today. He’s puzzled why some senior men have difficulty meeting women, and is suggesting five places men might visit to improve their chances of meeting a mate. As the pandemic eases, people will be more safely getting out and about more, making today’s 10 suggestions easier to implement.
(1) Restaurants – David said, “I met my late wife in a restaurant where neither of us had ever eaten.” The point Dave is making is that when men (and women) get out of the house and go places, including new places where they’ve never been, they improve their chances of meeting someone interesting.
(2) Flower and plant nurseries. David added, “One spring, I visited a large flower nursery with hundreds of flowers, plants, herbs, vegetables, and garden decorations for my English gardens. To my surprise, there were very few men shopping there.
“I encountered and talked with approximately 30 different women. We talked about the variety of flowers available, a gardening club I belong to, planting new flowers, building a new garden and herb garden, and cooking preferences of home-grown vegetables.”
Tom’s thought: Remember the old line that men used when trying to get women to come to their homes: “Would you like to see my etchings?” Well, this methodology could be applied here, “Would you like to see my garden?”
(3) Bookstores (yes, they still exist, but are fading away). David said, “When I stopped at a Barnes and Noble to review new books by my favorite authors, I was the only man there. However, there were many women present.”
Note from Tom: Going to other stores or places where mainly women shop, such as Bed Bath & Beyond, might work as well.
(4) Antique stores. David wrote, “While shopping in an antique store, I was the only man present with numerous women shopping. I have been collecting 1840 to 1880 antiques since I was in my 20s.
(5) Antique shows. David said, “Next was an antique show with more than 100 antique dealers, again a majority of those shopping were women.”
Tom’s comment: I know what you may be thinking about items four and five above, and you are right. The man says to the woman: “Would you like to see my antique collection?”
David concluded by saying, “The theme here today is quite simple. Men, think outside the box. Open your eyes, open your heart…women are everywhere; they are right in front of you. They have been there all this time!”
I’d like to add five other suggestions that might improve a senior man’s chances of meeting women.
(6) Wear a baseball cap with a conversation-starter logo on the front. In early January, we featured Heather and Reuben who met because he was wearing a University of Michigan block M on his hat. It’s like a free, conversation-starter, billboard. Heather and Reuben now live together.
To illustrate different locations for conversation-starting logos, I posed for this picture showing “M” logos on a hat, mask, shirt, and even the shoes. I said to Greta, “Wow if I went out dressed like this wearing all these logos, think of the conversations women would start with me.” She said, “Go for it. You’d look really silly!”
(7) Get a dog. This week, a company called Honest Paws emailed a press release that stated, “70% of singles believe having a dog in their dating profile helps them get more matches on dating apps. The top five breeds that singles most love to see in a dating profile are German Shepherds, Pitbulls, Huskies, Labradors, and Golden Retrievers.” Of course, walking a dog often draws positive comments from strangers.
Tom’s comment: Owning a dog is a big responsibility. So, don’t get one only because it might attract more women, be sure you understand the other responsibilities of owning a dog. A guy told me his Labradoodle is a chick-magnet.
(8) Visit a dog park. Of course, this only applies if you take action on item number 7 above. Don’t go there without a dog just to try to meet women. You’d come off as desperate.
(9) Become a dance host on a cruise ship. That’s what our Champ Chris did after a divorce. He met the love of his Tina, a woman from England, who 14 years later became his wife. I have an updated story about them planned for the near future.
Oh, one word about dance hosting. Hosts are not allowed to date passengers while on a cruise. But, once the cruise ends, of course, it’s okay to date a woman a host met on the cruise, so the host must be a bit patient. Solution after a dance together: “Here’s my contact card, email me when you get home from your trip.”
(10) Move to Sarasota. Of course, I’m only joking. We wrote three recent columns involving Sarasota, thoroughly exhausting that topic. One woman said, “I can’t live in Florida; I live in Pa.” Okay, enough said.
So there you have it. Ten suggestions to help senior single men meet women. As Champ David said, nice women, are everywhere.
Today’s topic reminded me of a 1954 song by Bill Haley and The Comets, titled, “Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town).” The song was the flip side of “Rock Around The Clock,” which in my opinion, was the song that launched rock and roll.
Here’s the Link to Thirteen Women (and Only One Man in Town)
Link to David Southworth’s poem, “The Sands of Time.”
https://www.findingloveafter50.com/widower-poem-by-david-southworth
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