Just like so much in my life, my dating life is somewhere between what it was like before the pandemic and what it was like during the worst of the pandemic. I am able to go out and meet people I match with on apps, but the locations I feel ok going to are limited. And most of my usual go-to places haven’t reopened yet. I also am still doing voice calls through the apps, which is something I started during the worst of the pandemic. I still don’t love phone calls, but it’s better than texting and it allows me and them to feel more comfortable with meeting in person after we have spoken. Maybe doing calls before meeting is something I will continue to do even when I can meet someone quickly? I’m not sure, but at least it’s something to do to make sure I want to meet up with someone in real life.
I do miss how easy and carefree it felt before to go and meet someone. There was always a place to meet up that was open, being in crowds was actually better and felt safer, and I could find out quickly if the person I had matched with was a good match for me or not. It’s so hard to tell if there is chemistry or a connection over text or the phone. You really can’t replicate in-person chemistry any other way, and that’s what made dating during most of last year so hard. But at least it is a little easier now, especially with so many people being very open and excited to share they are vaccinated (my photo of me with my vaccine card is on my dating profiles since I feel like that is a good picture of me).
And it is nice to get to meet someone new, even if the date isn’t perfect. I don’t get out of my house as often as I would like to, and having a date is a good excuse to dress in clothes that aren’t yoga pants and tank tops and be out in the world again. Mostly, I have done dates outside somewhere since that is still safer than being inside. But with my work schedule the way it is now and it getting dark so early, it’s not always the best option to meet outside. So for a date that I had this week, we were trying to find where to meet up that was easy and casual but also open after work. We ended up finding a Starbucks that didn’t close at 7pm like most of them do and met up there.
If this guy is reading this (he mentioned when we met that he had read a little bit of my blog), don’t worry. I’m not going to say it was a horrible date or anything. It was an okay date. We weren’t a great match for each other and that’s fine. But I did go inside my first Starbucks since the pandemic which was an odd adventure in itself. And it was really nice to meet someone new, talk for a bit, and feel like things are almost normal. I know they aren’t, but it didn’t feel as abnormal as so many things do these days either.
And soon, things might change again to be even more like normal. At least when it comes to feeling safe being out. In about a week, vaccines will be required for most things around LA. I know that a vaccine doesn’t provide full protection, but it will be nice to know that at least everyone in a space has been vaccinated and less likely to be sick or contagious. I will still be cautious about where I go and who I meet up with, but anything that can make me feel safer is a positive change. And maybe with a positive change in one part of dating I’ll have a positive change with the dates that I have too!
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