Hmmm. Well, Ann, everything I've read says that dating at our age is a total sh*t-show, and you 've done nothing to contradict that.

[Yes, you non-boomers reading this, it sucks to be dating at your age, also. This is not a contest. Shush!]

My experience cannot, as far as I know, be transferred into practical advice. I started as casual friends with both my eventual wives because I knew, beyond doubt, that a romantic relationship was impossible, either because of sexual orientation (Linda) or mother of kids (Deb). So I never had to impress them or be better than I was or do something utterly idiotic to be with them (such as go on a skiing trip when I had never skied and am terrified of heights). I just got to enjoy their company with no expectations until we crossed over some magical line.

When I arrived in the central PA area in the early 1990s, newly single, I had the pleasure of falling in with a singles cooking group, organized by single people who loved to cook and had gotten tired of eating leftovers all week after trying a new recipe. The women (a tad over half of the group) were happily single and, like you, had embraced just being that way.

Keep on being your delightful self, dear lady, and I am sure you will do well. 💚