Lara Crigger said:
Love FAQ: Honesty is the Best Poly-cy (Except When It Isn?t)
Love advice for the confused and clueless.
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This first question is a difficult one for a woman to answer, being completely honest. Providing a helpful answer, beyond "you're not trying hard enough," requires a certain empathy. It also requires a certain absence of assumptions. I really just don't feel the answer in the column provided those.
Dear LoveFAQ:
I haven't been out on a good date in years (too many years). My problem is: I'm surrounded by men! I work predominantly with men, my hobbies mostly involve men, and my friends are mostly men. Where do I go to meet some women? I just can't seem to find the right place/hobby/location. Help me!
-- Cockblocked
It's easy for us to assume that you're looking for a quick hook-up. Not in the malicious love'em-leave'em way, but looking for some sort of "instant girlfriend." I think you're probably smart and mature enough to know that, being as admittedly out-of-practice as you are, you're more just looking for where to go to get started. In a metaphorical sense, you're asking where the batting cages are, not how to go pro tomorrow.
Depending on where you live, your town may not have much of a single "scene." I know that when I was living in small Southern towns, the only places to meet single women were bars and churches. Pretty stark contrast between the sorts of girls you'd meet there. And they're really not the best places to be looking anyhow, for a variety of reasons we won't discuss here.
You've got friends, so clearly you have interactive hobbies. Since you're on this site, we'll assume gaming (in one form or another) is one of them. And that the internet is another. Here's the ticket: Don't look for "girls who have the same hobbies." Look for groups who share your hobby, whether or not they have girls, and get plugged in. You're doing three things here:
One, you're increasing your self-sufficiency by not
seeking a relationship. Cliché as it sounds, you're learning to be happy on your own. Two, you're learning about your own strengths and weaknesses. By interacting with new groups, you'll get a better picture about what
you add to a group, and knowing yourself better is never a bad thing when deciding what you're looking for.
And three, you're increasing your social network... but not in a "dating website" artificial way. That's when a guy looks on a site, finds a pretty girl, and then cooks up a common interest to make a go of it. Instead, you're starting with the common interest. Additionally, you'll allow yourself to get past the usual stigma attached to "meeting online," if there is any in your case. Don't be afraid of it. Know the potential hazards, but don't let them put you off finding friends online.
The other possibility, crazy as it may seem? There's always the option of finding a new job and moving to a new town. Not "in search of the elusive female." But perhaps, if you've been living there for a long time, these are people who remember a younger version of you--and if you're like most of us, it's a less-flattering version. Changing location can give you a fresh start.
That last one is admittedly drastic. Your job or family situation may very well not permit it. You may be vehemently opposed to the notion altogether. But sometimes, when all the safe and cliché advice falls short, we can't be afraid of the more drastic options...