If you’re looking for relationship advice, sorry to disappoint you — I’m no love guru. Just saw a piece on single people frustrated that they can’t mix and mingle at this point in time amidst all these lockdowns and social distancing restrictions. With many traditional hangout spots yet to reopen or operating below capacity and closing much earlier than they did before, there isn’t enough room or time to meet potential dates. Just like everything has drastically changed, so has dating. People used to meet at work, church, the gym, art galleries, cafes, the bar... Now everybody appears to be rushing home before the onset of the overnight curfew. And for those working from home, do you just ask the person to come to your Condo as that T-Pain song says or? Because if you want to take things slow, inviting someone over wouldn’t help that cause. Maybe face shields, masks and other coverings would, especially on the all-important first date, because you don’t really know this person you’re spending time with or where they’ve been, so you have to be careful. I imagine the icebreakers would be Covid-19 related. “So how many cases have been registered in your area? Anybody you know?” Heavy stuff but it’s inescapable. Also, do you hold hands? Slow dance? Hug? Kiss? At your own risk I guess and just as it is with HIV, taking the Covid-19 test is about to become a prerequisite for couples wishing to take things to the next level. As challenging as dating seems right now though, there’re some benefits. The days of imposters picking you up in someone else’s car, or passing off somebody’s house as their own are numbered. I also doubt anyone would go to great lengths to schedule a date and then stand you up. And for the person paying the bill, you probably wouldn’t spend as much as it’s unlikely you’ll be hoping from one spot to another. Gone are the days of dinner and a movie. If it’s dinner, then it’s dinner, unless you find one of those one-stop centres and so don’t end up wasting precious time driving around. If you find all this exhausting, maybe you should try online dating since everything’s going virtual these days. All you’d need is good connection and a few filters! Or you could go old school by reverting to good old fashioned letter writing, after all it’s what those in long distance relationships did before social media took over our lives!
