For singles looking to meet someone new, there are a wide variety of options: socialize more, volunteer, join a group, set up a profile on an online dating site, go speed dating, talk to your friends, attend a singles event... and the list goes on. But what if you've tried all these things and still aren't meeting new people?
This is a dilemma faced by numerous singles today, including myself. I found that when I lived in a larger metropolitan area, there were more singles close in age to socialize with. But moving to a much smaller town (1/10th the size of what I'm used to) dried up a lot of my standard ways of meeting people.
This is where both I, and other singles like me, need to get a bit creative. We live in an increasingly disconnected world, where we don't know our neighbors names, rarely go for a walk around the block and find it easier to sit in front of the computer to meet people than to get out and about meeting others face to face - the latter being one of my own personal struggle some days.
I firmly believe that building community is the best way to meet someone new, and many of the more creative meet someone new -ideas are usually housed within its depths. So with that in mind, here's my own brainstormed list. I'll try and use at least one of these this week and see how I fare. If nothing else, I'll be so busy that I won't have time to think about being single.
How about you? Do you have any suggestions to add to my list? What have you done out of the ordinary to meet new people?
- Invite my friends over for Thanksgiving dinner, letting them know that they are welcome to bring anyone else who doesn't have somewhere to be to share in the occasion;
- Stop over at the recreation center down the street to see if there are any community groups that tickle my fancy;
- Look further into starting a chapter of the Single Volunteers locally;
- Call the bowling alley to see if they need anyone to fill out an already-created team.
How about trolling the local drugstore for hot staff members?
Thanks for the link for Single Volunteers. I am looking for 50ish ladies and its harder than you may think to meet someone that age.
Dave
Dave, you’re right on the money if you are looking to date ladies over the age of 50 using Single Volunteers; all of the people I’ve spoken to who run groups in the US have stated large portions of their membership bases are 40+, and many have a hard time recruiting gents who fit into this age range.
You also might want to try volunteering in general to find more ladies in your desired age range, or sign up for a dance class (i.e. tango, fox trot). The ones here have a list of ladies waiting for a male partner in their age range.
Hey Bonny –
How about a class — photography, improv, cooking?
Hope you’re feeling better!
Kelly
Bonny, I think your ideas are great. The only problem I have seen through direct experience, both myself and especially my friends is that if you aren’t naturally a social gregarious person than you don’t end up making a connection with anyone nad it can be socially awkward for you. Everyone waits for everyone else to make the first move…probably because we have become anti-social slaves to the computer and television.
Seems like in the computer era we lack of face to face meetings, which is actually a better way to get know other person. I think many online dating people often present themselves as they want to be rather than who they really are, which cause disappointment to others at later stage of relationship.