My Date with an Old Guy

My Date with an Old Guy

Dates Accomplished - 93, so close to my goal!!!

Out of all the dates I have been on this year, the one that everyone wants to talk about is "the date with the old guy".

I have always had a joke that my dream man would be rich with heart problems.  So when I announced to my friends that I had a date with a senior citizen, I wasn't surprised when the first question most of them asked was "Is he rich?"

For the record, I don't call him the old guy.  His name is David  :)

I was invited to a Speed Dating event earlier this year down in Pleasant Grove.  After meeting a few guys, I noticed the next person up to meet me was a handsome older gentleman who I assumed was in his early sixties.  He introduced himself and we began talking.  It turned out that he is an actor and is very involved in the theater and opera community, and I just happen to love the opera.  It was so refreshing to talk to him because we discussed different things than I normally don't get to.  Opera is one of my favorite things, but I always have a hard time finding people, especially men, who are interested in it at all.

Our few minutes of chatting ended quickly.  He gave me his card (yes, he had a card with him, that even had his photo on it, which was a little quirky, but definitely made me remember him) and he asked if he could take me to the opera sometime.  My favorite part about David was that he was very open and aware of our age difference.  He even mentioned before asking me out, something along the lines of "I know you wouldn't be interested in anything romantic, but I would love to have your company at the opera".  Smooth.  I couldn't help but say yes.

So let me explain something about myself.  I learned a long time ago that if you set up too many boundaries for yourself on the people you allow into your life, you end up missing so many great experiences and opportunities to learn so much about yourself.  That being said, when I started out my goal of 100 dates, I decided that the only time I would turn down someone was if I felt in danger. I stopped putting limits on age, height, race, weight, even religion. I was looking for a connection with someone, and would see where it went from there.

When I got home, I sent him a Facebook friend request.

**Want to know a great secret to networking and building your social circle?  After every party, social event, even church, remember at least 3 people you met and go home and send them a FB request within 12 hours.  Seriously, you will get to know hundreds of people before you know it and will meet some amazing people!**

One thing I need to work on is allowing men to ask me out on the phone.  My work can be quite chaotic and I am not near my phone a lot.  Not to mention that it can take me days or even weeks to check my voicemail.  Texting is always the best way to get a hold of me.  I have been very surprised and the number of men who have tried to ask me out by phone and were very bothered by me only communicating by text.  It's an old fashioned gesture and I really need to work on being more available that way.  David was one of these guys who always tried to call first, a much appreciated thing.

With our busy schedules, it took some time for us to meet up.  He invited me to be his guest to "The Abduction from the Seraglio" by Mozart, a German opera I had never been to.

Unfortunately the night we were going, I had to come straight from work, so there wasn't time for dinner beforehand.  I met David in the lobby of the theater.  He looked handsome in his suit and has a killer smile.  He offered me his arm (another smooth move that I wish men would do more often) and took me to the balcony where we had some amazing seats.  Conversation never lacked with David.  He knew how to ask questions, listen and not overpower a conversation.  And he didn't ask me how many kids I want, so tired of getting asked that on a first date!

During intermission, he took me to the top floor rehearsal studio where there was a VIP reception.  They even had displays of some original costumes.  I was in cultural geek heaven!

It was during intermission that somehow his age came up.  I assumed he was around 65.  It turned out he was 73, he looks good for his age.  It was a bit of a shock to realize he was my dads age, and I have an old dad ;)  It turned out he had served his mission in Germany, where my dad did, at the same time.  They didn't know each other, but all of a sudden our age difference was very obvious to me.

After the show, he took me downstairs and showed me some of the dressing areas and makeup rooms.  I have never gotten to go to that area before and I loved seeing behind the scenes.  He insisted on walking me to my car (yep another totally smooth move) and I gave him a hug.

All in all, a delightful date.  Nothing creepy.  Nothing weird.  Just two people who have some of the same interests getting to know each other.

No, there wasn't a romantic spark for me.  Yes, the age difference is probably the main factor I didn't see it going anywhere.

I love older men.  10 years older is great.  20 years older is fine.  30 years older is pushing it.  40 years older just isn't going to work......unless he's rich  ;)