All the single ladies…

Quite a few  of the blogs I read are written by single ladies who have found themselves starting out again after what Caroline (a fellow blogger) accurately describes as ‘meltdown’.  Now before you think that these blogs are likely to be a less than positive reflection of life think again.  Many of these bloggers write from both their hearts and their heads.  Their posts share their experiences in ways that identify some of their hurdles but importantly the solutions they have found to move on and, again as Caroline describes, ‘fly’. I only wish that when I was going through this I had been able to tap into such an emotionally savvy, honest and determined bunch of ladies.

I have colleagues and friends who have walked this road and, reflecting on this and my own experiences, this path eventually takes you to the crossroads where you might consider that dipping your toe into the water of relationships again is something you might be willing to do.  Almost everyone I know who finds themselves in this position talks about how difficult it is to meet someone.  I remember my own mother saying to me, “Look you’ve got a lot going for you, get out there and put yourself about a bit”.  Of course I should point out that, bless her, what my mum meant was to go out there and socialise, mix with people.

"Mum, you can't say that!!!"

Lets face it though if we’re honest getting back out there is easier said than done though.

I’ve had a couple of friends that have tried the internet dating thing – something I was never keen to do.  I have however spent many an hour listening to their stories; conversations that would frequently end in either hysterical laughter or tears.  Conversely I also have friends who met their future partners this way – so hey, anything is possible. So in this world of modern technology I can see where the internet can be a valuable tool to meet and connect with people.

With this in mind I just wanted to recount a funny conversation I had today.  I happened to have coffee with a lady that (in her mind at least) took this whole technology/dating thing one step further.

Now this all came about when she was telling me about the Christmas present she bought for herself; a fancy phone that she has now loaded with an array of clever little apps.  Some of you may be familiar with an app called Shazam which, if a song comes on the radio for example and you want to know who sang it you just tap this little app, the phone listens to the music and it matches it.  Not only that but it finds the song on itunes for you and you can effortlessly add it to your music.  Incredibly clever.

Anyhow what this lady was saying was wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a kind of Shazam like app for single ladies.  She went on to explain her hilarious, but disappointing jaunt into the world of dating (which she is now sworn off as she’s in what she describes as her ‘apathetic phase’).   She’s a pretty cool lady who has a good job and a fairly full life – the only things she says is missing is a relationship, which she desperately wants.  “Wouldn’t it be wonderful”, she said, “if next time I’m at a party I could just tap my little Shazam-A-Man app and it would scan the room and tell me if there are any matches” Brilliant!

Unfortunately the downside is that if anyone else is using Shazam-A-Man then a queue is likely to gather.

Ok she was joking of course but I can see that it would be kind of nifty.  So maybe it’s about time the technology caught up.  Sure I talk to my phone and it will add my appointments to my calendar, my husband can book a holiday and the dates come winging their way over onto my schedule without me having to touch a button – but can it make the dinner?  I rest my case.

So this smart lady in jest maybe has a point although even she acknowledged that there is probably no app in the world that can replace that ‘spark’ you feel when your certain person comes along.

Anyhow it’s Friday, the weekend is upon us, and so for the ladies out there who might be considering dipping their toe in the water I hope your Shazam-A-Man lights up like a Christmas tree:wink: