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Why I Only Started Dating at Age 30
When I was young I thought romantic love was something that just happened. I thought it was a natural part of life that sooner or later would happen to everyone, even to me.
I saw my close friends get into relationships and wondered whether it would ever happen to me.
As I approached 30, a diagnosis dropped like an atomic bomb into my life. I was autistic. That explained so many things about me and my life, including why being single felt safer. Still, I would be lying if I said I never wanted to be in a relationship because I did. But it simply never happened naturally like it did for everyone else.
Turning 30 and never having had the experience of being in a romantic relationship made me feel like something was missing from my life. So, I did what everyone does these days and turned to online dating.
It’s actually a great way to meet people if you’re autistic because you can ask questions without the pressure of an in-person encounter. You can take your time. You can choose to disclose your diagnosis or not (I haven’t). You have the power to choose whether or not you want to take things one step further with someone and meet them face to face.
Online dating turned out to be both great (again, no face-to-face interactions, except if I wanted to) and exhausting. You have to ask the…
