The worst part about dating for me, hands down, is having to tell my dates I'm just not that interested. It's painful to experience when I'm out with a man who thinks that he is showing a girl a great time and he's just, well, not.
As it turns out, men aren't that picky! We can be straining to hold a conversation for an hour, but the remote possibility of sex makes them ignore the reality in front of them- that there's no chemistry. When they ask me out again, it's all I can do to hold back from saying, "Really?!? What about our date do you think went well?"
I have now been on twelve first dates and was asked out for a second by eleven men who had a much better time than I did. (The twelfth must have been hit by a car or something, which would be the only logical explanation for his lack of contact).
Thankfully I have experience being rejected too. Several years ago I went out with a man and had a pleasant, if underwhelming, time. A few days later he sent me the following email:
"Thanks for making time to go out, I had a good time. You're a really impressive person, I think. Dating-wise, my interests are aligning elsewhere, but it was a fun exchange."
I thought it was so brilliant, I saved it. It was concise, to the point, and avoided any of the weird "we should be friends" stuff that no one really means or wants to hear.
I now have the privilege of passing those words on to the men of Seattle. After every unsuccessful encounter, I cut and paste the original email and click "send." Easy! My dream is that one day, I will receive the same cut and pasted response from another man and I will be satisfied, knowing that the dating world has come full-circle.
