• Support
  • Advertise
  • Locations
  • Contact
Saturday, September 30, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTERS
San Clemente Times
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Best of San Clemente
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Graduation Special
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide 2023
    • Money Matters
    • San Clemente Trolley Route Map
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Triton Football Preview
    • WSL Rip Curl Guide 2023
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Best of San Clemente
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Graduation Special
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide 2023
    • Money Matters
    • San Clemente Trolley Route Map
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Triton Football Preview
    • WSL Rip Curl Guide 2023
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
No Result
View All Result
San Clemente Times
No Result
View All Result

On Life and Love After 50: Why I Don’t Play Cupid for Senior Singles

Staff by Staff
February 4, 2021 3:25AM
in SC LIVING, SC Living Headlines
On Life and Love after 50: Three Widowers, Divorced Man Ages 60-90 Comment on Dating

Tom Blake

0
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Tom Blake

By Tom Blake

A senior single woman suggested recently that I add playing cupid to my job description.

Cheryl emailed,“Because you know a lot of single men and women, you would be a great person to introduce them. For me, it may not work, because I live in L.A. County near LAX, about an hour’s drive from South Orange County. As you have previously mentioned, senior singles are not interested in driving long distances—especially at night.

“I’m not saying you should become a full-blown matchmaker—that would take a lot of work and responsibility. But there are other ways you could become a ‘go-between.’ 

“How about allowing your readers to sign up on an ‘eligible-list’ page on your Finding Love After 50 website, and perhaps have them include the general area where they live, their status (divorced, widowed, for example), and a photo?”

An “eligible-list” with a mini-profile of each person? Cheryl is suggesting I become a matchmaker.

Cheryl added, “I’m sure there’s a great guy in my area who is looking for me!”

In 27 years of column writing, I’ve encountered hundreds of seniors who’ve found love, and thousands who haven’t. And I’ve tried to introduce some of them, including widowers, widows, never-married and divorced people, particularly when they live within 10 miles of each other.

Some have become couples, but in most cases, no match was made. Often, I hear the words, “We just weren’t right for each other.”

Some people who had asked me to find them a mate were annoyed that I wasted their time, even though they were the ones who approached me in the first place. Older singles, who are set in their ways, can be very picky and hard to please. It’s often a no-win situation.

For example, a woman who asked me to introduce her, says, “You didn’t tell me that he drinks bourbon, gambles on football, talks too much and snores.”

Me: “Sorry, I didn’t know that.”

Another reason I won’t match-make is there are more single women seeking love at age 65 compared to men of the same age; the ratio is about 4-to-1, women to men. At age 75, that ratio increases to approximately 5-to-1.

A similar ratio would exist on an “eligible-list” website page. And then I’d hear the all-too-familiar cry: “Where are the men?”

Would including an “eligible” page on my website, as Cheryl suggests, yield successful matchups? Perhaps a few. However, the time, effort and cost to create and update a list would be prohibitive.

Nearly every day during the pandemic, an email arrives in my inbox promoting new dating and/or matchmaking sites. One matchmaker included these words:

“Local matchmaker has more older women and needs more men to match with female clients.”

The same site said its workers “do their best to find that person and introduce you.”

“Do their best”? Wow, matchmakers who often charge between $700 and $25,000 are only as good as the clients they have in their dating pool.

Will I add a “fixer-upper” list to my website? No thanks.

But, when the pandemic is under control, my partner Greta and I will resume the monthly senior singles meet-and-greet gatherings at Tutor and Spunky’s Deli in Dana Point. Many people met their mates there.

So, Cheryl, I’ll remain a columnist and leave the matchmaking to the dating sites and matchmakers. They are the pros and the only thing they lack: single men.

Tom Blake is a retired Dana Point business owner and resident who has authored books on middle-aged dating. See his website at findingloveafter50.com. To comment: tompblake@gmail.com.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Tags: CupidDatingMatchmakerOn Life and Love After 50Orange CountyRelationshipsSan ClementeSenior DatingSenior Singles
ShareTweetPin
Staff

Staff

Related Posts

Dana Wharf Whale Report: Rare Sightings of Bryde’s Whales and Guadalupe Fur Seals Highlight Whale Watching Trips

Dana Wharf Whale Report: Rare Sightings of Bryde’s Whales and Guadalupe Fur Seals Highlight Whale Watching Trips

September 29, 2023
Nomination Period Opens for Veterans of the Year Awards

Nomination Period Opens for Veterans of the Year Awards

September 29, 2023
City Opens New, Unique Playground at San Gorgonio Park

City Opens New, Unique Playground at San Gorgonio Park

September 28, 2023
CoastLines: Let Safety & Fun on E-bikes Coexist

Public Safety Committee Looks to Provide Traffic Safety Suggestions to Council

September 28, 2023
Next Post
CoastLines: Movie Palace Was a Show of Faith in 1938 San Clemente

CoastLines: Movie Palace Was a Show of Faith in 1938 San Clemente

Discussion about this post

No Result
View All Result

SC Times Daily
Get important news and updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here.

Subscriptions
Don’t get the SC Times delivered to your home? Subscribe today.

Advertising
Get new customers and drive traffic to your business. Advertise with us.

Support Local Journalism
For less than the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, become an “Insider” member and continue to get “Local News You Can Use” from the only independently owned, dedicated local news organization in South Orange County.

Contribute today.

Picket Fence Media is a proud member of the SoCal Media Network.

  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Dana Point Times
  • The Capistrano Dispatch
  • Terms of Use
  • About Us

© 2023 Picket Fence Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye on SC
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • SC Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • SC Surf
    • Dana Point Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of SC
  • Explore SC
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classifieds
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well – For the Young at Heart
    • Best of San Clemente
    • Crib to College
    • Festival of Whales Event Program
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Graduation Special
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide 2023
    • Money Matters
    • San Clemente Trolley Route Map
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Triton Football Preview
    • WSL Rip Curl Guide 2023
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who

© 2023 Picket Fence Media