Swipe Left
Adventures in dating in your 50s during a pandemic
After I broke up with my fiancé three years ago after an almost seven-year relationship, I licked my wounds for a year or two, with no desire to date. I converted what had been his man-cave into my art studio and began to paint. At first, producing art was my Sunday activity because Sundays alone are hard. Soon, it morphed into my favorite Friday night and Saturday night activity as well.
Although I was alone, I told myself I was OK. I was still grieving the loss of my relationship and not in the right frame of mind for a new relationship. Which isn’t to say I didn’t want one if the right person came along.
To this end, I’d occasionally pop onto dating apps, (could there be any other dating options during a pandemic?) to see what was on offer. Turns out, dating during a pandemic was hard. I found myself left-swiping (the way to pass on a profile) way more often than right-swiping (accepting a match). Sequestered safely back in my studio, happily painting, I was alone but content.
The libido has left the building
It wasn’t just the pandemic that made dating difficult. Menopause also seemed to affect my ability to swipe right. Had my libido left the building or was it just not being tickled appropriately with the people…
