A few days ago I got an email from a friend advertising a singles fireside in Draper for ages 31-45. I've been to these firesides before and they're rough. Generally they consist of 30-40 girls, 2 guys sitting with what must be their girlfriends, and about 20 married people who I assume are the the singles sponsors for the various stakes represented at the fireside. You think I'm exaggerating that- I'm not. But I hadn't been to one in Draper, so I thought maybe this would be a different group. I didn't want to go. At all. But I knew there was a better chance of meeting guys there than in my basement eating cookies, so I put on a dress and went. When I arrived, the parking lot was actually full. I was shocked. Keep in mind, a full parking lot at a singles' event isn't the same thing as a full parking lot at a family event. Each car at a singles event carries one person, vs the four or five people for a family event, so a full parking lot might still only mean about 80-100 people, but that was a great deal more people than I expected to see there. So I let myself get a little hopeful. Then I went inside.
The chapel was full, so I found a seat among some people in the overflow and started taking in my surroundings. There was an overwhelming number of grey and bald heads, and I couldn't figure out what was going on. I thought maybe there were just lots of sponsors from the representative stakes, but the way they were interacting (a lot of them sitting alone, not really socializing, giving off a general air of hopelessness) didn't seem to fit that. Then it hit me. The email I had gotten was wrong. This wasn't a 31-45 fireside. This was a 31 and older fireside. Emphasis on older. I sat in shock. I didn't know what to do. In the singles community, everybody knows that if you're still in the 31-45 crowd, you DON'T go to the over 45 activities. It's scary. Nobody should ever see that until they have to. I imagine it's like giving birth. If you're going to have to go through it, then and ONLY then you watch the video. Until then, avoid seeing that like the plague. You just don't really want to know what you're in for. Thankfully the fireside started before I had much time to think. When it ended I stood up and looked around. There were a few others who might have been in their thirties (making hasty retreats), and a few more in the their forties, but the vast majority were in the grandparent stage of life. I even think I recognized the parents of some of my high school friends. It was horrible.
My take-away from the evening was that I can't let myself make it into that group. At any cost. So, it's time for me to go back to online dating. Sigh... yes, despite my previous experience of having met A) a guy who was at least 40 pounds heavier, one head balder, and 10 years older than his picture, B) a guy who claimed to have been a Harvard educated doctor but actually went to college in Missouri and was unemployed, and C) a serial rapist, I'm giving the online world another shot.
Wish me luck.
