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05/18/2016
My online dating profile used to be carefully composed with a clever headline that perfectly matched my flirty profile picture. My description listed all the "wow" factors I could think of while briskly skipping over the less desirable ones (including that I was living paycheck to paycheck, unable to keep a job past the probation period, or that I had a past with drugs and depression which left me with an STD).
No - I was in a hurry, hounded by the fear of getting older and still being single. So from age 37 - 43, I juggled THREE online dating services at the same time. I was determined! But I finally realized that meeting people this way was very artificial. Most of them (myself included) were liars. We were fake, insecure hopefuls with voids to fill. It's a playground for con artists, ex-cons, criminals and liars. And they are not unattractive. Some of the most dangerous situations from online dates I found myself in were with good looking guys in my 30-45 age range. In the seven years I did this, I never got a prince. I got frogs who had insatiable appetites for sexting and getting between the sheets!
Looking back, I'm horrified at the risks I took just to curb my loneliness. Internet dating is like pesticides on fruit - you can't see the artificial chemicals even though you know they're there. Everything looks good, and hey, you want peaches NOW! You choose the pesticide-riddled peach because it's better than nothing.
I finally decided to be celibate. It's been over three years, and the next time I go on a date, it will be with someone I met "organically." I've come to realize I'm really an old-fashioned girl after all.
Mattie
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