According to the dictionary, going on a date is a social event and does not have to be romantic.
This is how I found myself, last Saturday, on a date with my 25 years old daughter – will call her Jane – and 26 years old young women, an adopted daughter/friend that I met in Seattle – will call her Lori. Lori just had her first child and is not going out by herself or with her hubby so much anymore. Jane, on the other hand, is a burlesque performer, a volunteer in the Youth LGBTQ community and goes out a lot.
Although we all have partners in life, we decided that this is a Girls’ Night only. The decision made the situation a little weird, as Jane’s fiancée is a woman. We changed it to Hebrew Girls Night Out – which means that you need to be a girl and speak Hebrew to be part of the scene.
Lori was born and raised in Israel and has been in Seattle for a few years. Jane was born in Israel and was raised half of her life in Montreal and the other half in Seattle. Her Hebrew is amazing, as her mother — me — had “language fights” with her while growing up. This means, that at home Jane and her sibling had to speak in Hebrew, otherwise they were not listened to. A lot of fights took place, as both girls hated the idea and struggled with the language. But today, at the age of 25 and after a year of volunteering in Israel, Jane is fluent in Hebrew and this is our secret language. How cool is that?
Jane, Lori and I have a very special relationship that started two years ago, when we all met in a monthly Shabbat dinner in our local Beit Chabad and fell in love. The fact that I have friends, in my kids’ age, makes me always smile and feel very proud. This is one of my biggest achievements in life!
What do I mean by that? I was born to a very rigid family, which means that the parents are up there in the hierarchy and communication and relationships are identified by fear and respect. Those two things go together and do not disappear when you grow up. You might find yourself having a glass of wine with your father and mother on a family dinner event, but you will not ask your mother to join you out, with your friends for a drink.
I always wanted to be different from them, when it came to family relationships. When I had my kids, I decided to do everything I can to be a good parent but at the same time have a friendship level, that is out of my parental role.
I always talked to them like a mature person, even before they started talking. I would walk around the house in the middle of the night, with Jane in my arms as an infant, telling her that she has to go to sleep. We used to stand and look out of the window to a dark street and I would say: “The trees went to sleep, the cars went to sleep and the cockroaches went to sleep, now Jane has to go to sleep as well.” I know, awful, but it was summer and the cockroaches were part of our life in that humid hot weather. Jane was 4 months old and when the summer ended, I stopped using these sentences and moved to books and songs.
One night, a couple of years later, when Jane was about two and a half years old and a good talker for her age, I tacked her in bed and heard her talking to herself: “The trees went to sleep, the cars went to sleep and the cockroaches went to sleep, now Jane has to go to sleep as well.”
OMG… right? I left the room cracking up. But besides the laughter, I realized that it worked! All the time that I was talking to her and treating her like a real person who understands, were indeed imprinted in her mind.
I was always the mother but I was also human, shared my feelings when I was sad and upset and made sure that my girls are part of the healing processes in my life. The discussion was always adapted to their age and level of maturity, but it was there. If they wanted to say or share something, they knew they could do it with me, and things only got better with the years. Even in their teens – most of the time – we had a good communication going between us and I knew a lot of things that other parents would kill to know … or would kill themselves if they knew? I just listened and tried to be quiet – unless I was asked for advice.
Going out clubbing with Jane and Lori was one of the best evenings I had lately. We laughed a lot, ate a little, danced as much as we could and skipped between clubs and bars. I wish more parents will take the time to go on a date with their kids – that’s a higher level of parenthood for me and so much fun!
If you have kids that are old enough to drive themselves, tell us what did you do lately with your kids for fun?
Completely; yes; very much are the answers from 95% of the
people, when you ask them about online dating.
Some of the people drop online dating and choose to go
organically. I have to admit that this always makes me smile… Sounds like going
Vegan. I tell them that at home I’m Vegan but outside of the house I eat
whatever I want – food is not a religion for me. Why can’t it be the same in
dating? Online dating is just another way, option, to get to what you want –
you can have it all. If it is a life partner, a causal relationship or you name
your combination, there is more than one way to get there.
I agree online dating can be very hard, but I also think
that many people take it too seriously too soon in the game. It is all about
your attitude.
What do I mean?
Beth is looking to start a family. She is in her late
twenties and every date is a promise for a future husband and a father for her
dream kids. Yep, very high expectations and she is just texing. Beth, before
every date, gets anxious and loses her cool vibe. Beth is online dating for the
last three years and doesn’t understand why it is not working for her.
There are a few ways to make online dating a fun experience
without getting upset or depressed.
You started texting and then it is a fun conversation? The
person on the other side seems interesting and you would like to know more?
There is nothing like a face to face meeting to see where it goes – and it
should happen quickly. For those who are looking for rules: three to four days
of texting are more than enough. Go out and meet – what’s the worst thing that
can happen?
I mentioned “Too Seriously” – for example, somebody ghosted
you after a few days of great texting. It hurts a little, but… wait! They don’t
really know you and you don’t really know them. So don’t take it so seriously
and go and listen to “Thank you next.“
Shopping lists vs. Values. Open your mind and your dating profile
to different people. You can never know who will you meet. At the same time,
make sure your values are clear. Values are specific beliefs about what is
important and unimportant, good and bad, right and wrong
Example, I believe
that it is wrong for a man, in his early fifties, not to have a steady job and
live in his parents’ mother in law unit, while saving money for his next
tattoo. I know, my values are weird.
Once I allowed myself to open my mind, identify and stick to
my values but not to my shopping list, I met some interesting people. The
truth, first glance in their online profile picture did not spark much of an
interest and they didn’t look visually “my type,” but meeting them face to face
and walking around Greenlane together, suddenly presented them in a different
light. I enjoyed a lovely time and with a few of them also an LTR.
Give a brownie point to someone who took the time and filled
out their profile information and their pictures are up to date. A blank
profile says something about the person behind it – serious it is not.
And last but not least – if you open up your app and what
comes to your mind is: “Oy Vey” you might need some time off from online
dating. Go do things you love, new things you never did before, join a meetup
of fun people that share the same interests that you do – try go organically,
put yourself out there physically.
One thing to remember – online dating is like a
bazaar. Things change all the time and people come and go from different
reasons. Make sure you find the app that works for you and you feel comfortable
with – Tinder vs. Bumble for example. Some apps do not let you write a long
profile and others do. My favorite app, OK Cupid, also asks you a ton of
questions. Try and see what works better for you and remember all the time:
don’t take it seriously. Go out and have fun first of all.
Last week, after one of the storytelling shows I performed
in, I stood next to a table presenting Around
Seattle in 80 Dates, when a woman approached me. The name of the show by
the way was: Bad Date
Storytelling.
I never met this woman before but she was very determined to
let me know what she thought about my performance, “You are Amazing, but this
is not for me,” Kate said.
“What exactly is not for you,” I asked her. Kate was in her
late 40’s – the smart type, never married. She had a nice smile and round
glasses. Kate explained to me, that she wants to find her life partner
organically. Why did I think about a carrot right away? I don’t know.
By Dating Organically Kate meant that she wants to be lucky
and find her prince by accident. I asked her if fender bender counts.
She didn’t smile. Kate loves to read books and her organic story sounded like
that: Kate used to visit a local book store next to her rented room in downtown
Seattle. One day, this handsomest dark man will walk into the store. He will
see her and immediately approach her. They will start talking about books and will
find out they have the same taste in books, music and so much more.
Kate kept talking for a few more minutes, but my mind was
already in a different place – Dating Organically? I heard about it but it
never happened to me. Every time I meet a couple, I ask them how they met. When
I meet couples that met organically, not online and not a set date, I hug them
and say: You are Soooooo Lucky. And by luck, I mean: you were in the right
place on the right time with the same needs. And then I think to myself: how
rare is that!?
Reading the post AU
NATURALE: WHY MEETING SOMEONE ORGANICALLY IS THE BEST WAY made me want to
do the same to the writer of the post – hug the author. By the way, the person
that wrote the post does not sound very lucky or reports any success with their
decision to date organically.
There are options out there,
one that I love is meetup.com. Find a group that you are interested in their
meetings and join. This handsomest guy/amazing woman just might be there as
well, or not.
Going organically sounds
great and very romantic but not a practical solution in my eyes. It is for sure
an option, but I would still use the online options that are in place.
True, many first dates are
not followed by second dates and I think that this is just fine. The idea that your
prince is the next date and both of you will figure it out in an hour is a
beautiful and romantic idea, which I remember I had when I was in my early twenties.
But hey, I am not anymore and there are some benefits in being in your early 50’s.
I feel wiser.
If you are an English
speaker, I bet you heard the phrase “Mazal Tov” – which literally
means, good luck. Mazal Tov is a greeting used by Jews all over the world and
became part of the English language. The phrase is in Hebrew, The word “MAZAL” in
Hebrew means “Luck” in English.
The Kabballah talks about
the fact that MAZAL is an acronym for:
M = In Hebrew – Makom; In English
= Place
Z = In Hebrew – Zman; In English
= Time
L = In Hebrew stands for Limud;
In English = Study, experience, what you have learned and made you who you are today.
So, to be lucky in life,
according to the Kabballah, you have to be in the Right Place, in the Right Time
with the Real you – that is who you are in life today thanks to everything you
went through, college, relationships, life – you are a total of your experience.
You need to be out there so you can get lucky. You know what I mean.
Organically meeting people
is nice, but might be a complete waste of time. Also – limitation people!!! Not
at work and not with your best friend’s ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend, unless you
want an ex-best boyfriend/ girlfriend. Just saying.
Go build a great profile,
take a few good pictures WITHOUT A FILTER, and write 15 lines about yourself
and what interests you in life. KISS – Keep It Simple Sweetheart.
Leave something to talk about
and just enjoy the ride! It might not be your next partner but you just might
meet a fun person and discover the best martini in town! Attitude, attitude, attitude.
Cheers, and I hope you do
choose to enjoy the ride. All the rest comes organically.
