Do People Over 50 Fall in Love?
I had no idea dating at midlife would be such a power struggle.
In 2013, I lost my husband to cancer after having spent 32 years together; he was my high school prom date, my one and only. Fourteen months later, still missing him beyond measure, I decided to try online dating even though I hadn’t dated since 1980 when I was a high school junior.
Back then, at least in my small Northern California town, if a boy wanted to ask you out, he called in advance, offered an activity he thought you’d both enjoy, and often showed up wearing a sweater his mom had picked out. He made sure you got home safely.
In 2014, when I started dating as a 50-year-old widow, I didn’t expect things to be that different. Having been with my husband for most of my life, I still believed in love and figured that other midlife people did too.
When Dating Becomes A Power Struggle
I started with J-Date, the self-proclaimed “largest Jewish dating network,” hoping to find my second bashert. My first dinner date post-widowhood was with Mark, an Alec Baldwin lookalike with a gym fixation. I’ve always had a crush on Alec Baldwin.
We went for a romantic dinner and walk through downtown San Francisco holding hands, returning to my place afterward to sit…
