Love is the prize.
It is the trophy that is dangled before the eyes of those who go to internet sites in search of a mate or a date. One thing is clear: internet dating websites are flourishing. In fact, it has been documented that one 1 out of 5 couples meets on a website, and many seniors are finding these sites exhilarating, alluring, and promising.
College was an excellent place to meet people. Many of us met our husbands and wives on campus; it was like one huge, ongoing, fabulous mixer offering a grand pool of potential dates. Students had everything in common—studies, classes, meals, sports, activities...
But time passed and life got complicated. Spouses died or departed; some never found anyone to love. Currently, the search for a relationship on a website can be an appealing option for boomers and their parents who are looking for an emotional connection, or simple daily communication. Many still work 9-5 jobs which leave little time or energy for meeting eligible people in the course of their day—assuming that single people live in their immediate neighborhoods and are in the same establishments at the same times on the same days.
Make no mistake, on-line dating can be like the Wild, Wild West: there is no telling what you will find out there in cyberspace. But the millions of notes flying through the airwaves offer the possibility of finding a date, friend, lover, mate, or all of the above. You just never know.
This blog is posted by Laraine Jablon, a hopeful romantic.
Laraine Jablon, BA, MA, is a freelance writer specializing in social and health concerns of seniors. She resides in Nesconset, New York, and welcomes your thoughts. Lhjablon@gmail.com
