Perfect For Me

I'm down to the last three days of my subscription to Match.com.  I have not had much luck or love in the six months I've been active on this site.  I've contacted 18 women, mostly through messages (I hate "winks"), and only received two responses from those women, neither of which lead to a date.  I've received unsolicited interest in the form of "winks", messages, and/or "likes" of pictures of me, from 32 women, of which only three came close to the preferences outlined on my profile, and only one lead to a date.  I've only dated one woman in these six months, and we went out twice before we realized we just weren't a good match.  My profile received 179 views, many well outside of my preferences in age and distance.  Two dates, with the same person, in six months was all I received in my six months.

So was it worth it?  I'm going to say yes, even if I didn't find love.  Given my lifestyle, the fact that I don't go on many dates, that I don't meet many eligible single women in my age range, and that I'm really, really picky about who I date, using an online dating site really is the best way for me to date.  While I'm certainly not saying it's even close to being the same, I liken this to searching for a used car.  You fill out your search preferences, hit "go", and you end up with a bunch of possibilities.  My favorite search function is where you can search for a "mutual match", where my search results are those who fit my preferences and I fit their preferences.  I also tend to avoid contacting women who are too far "out of my league".  I know my limitations.  I'm not looking for perfection; just perfect for me.

I am disappointed that I didn't find more success.  I've been on Match.com a few times before, and I've had better results on those previous attempts.  I've also been on eHarmony and Christian Mingle.  I've had my best experiences with eHarmony, though the dating process is much different from the other two.  But Match has given me the most dates, even if I only had two this time around.

I hate dating.  I really do.  When my wife, Teresa, and I got married, we knew it was forever.  'Til death do us part, never realizing just how soon that would occur.  Teresa died less than five years into our marriage.  We were so thankful that God had prepared us both for the wonderful relationship that is marriage, and that we didn't have to be concerned about dating ever again.  And now, here I am again, back in the dating pool.  My marriage relationship was really great, though, and worth going through the misery that is dating to find that type of relationship again.  I know it's worth it.  And it's worth being picky.  I will not enter into marriage lightly.  So I will continue searching for that one who is perfect for me, who God is preparing even as I type these words.  It's worth it.

Have a great evening, everyone!