I did something really bold. I started dating again. I never imagined myself in this place, but here I am in the second half of my life looking for a date. I dipped my toes into the water about a month ago and discovered a whole new world. So I thought I'd share my experiences for those of you who are contemplating such a move. Or for those of you who are happily with a partner, I'll let you have the experience from an insider's view and you can say, "Thank goodness I don't have to go through that again!"

First of all, have fun! When you’ve reached the age of 50 or beyond, you’ve got this whole bucketful of serious life experiences behind you. Many of us are single because we’ve experienced the death of a spouse or a divorce. We’ve ended and begun new careers. Our kids have grown and left the house. We’re in a whole new realm. It’s an exciting time, so approach it that way. Dating doesn’t have to be a serious, fearful experience. Just let go, color outside the lines, and have fun!

Forget about going to a bar to meet people. For those of us over 50, there are far more interesting places to meet new people than being a barfly.

There’s more than produce being picked up… It wasn’t until it happened to me on three different occasions that I realized there was more happening at Safeway than people picking up items for their evening meal. At the checkout counter, a cute guy behind me commented on my shrimp, cream, pasta, and veggies. “So what are you making for dinner?” he asked. That led to a quick conversation with him saying how much he’d love to have my recipe. I was too impressed thinking that here was a guy who could cook instead of realizing he was hinting for my phone number.

Home Depot is where it’s happening. The most fun place I’ve found to look for a potential date is Home Depot on a Saturday night. My first flirting experience at Home Depot happened totally by accident. I’m a naturally friendly person and say hi to everyone. I was pushing my cart through a center aisle, looked over to say hi to a guy and crashed my cart into the display. I’m sure he thought I was hot for him because I kept seeing him throughout the store and I noticed he followed me to the checkout. No, a hook-up didn’t happen, but that experience made me more aware of the fun potential on a Saturday night at Home Depot.

A very inviting lounge area at Home Depot.

Home Depot has the most wonderful lounge area--aka patio section. Take a seat and you’ll wish they offered cocktail service. Put your feet up and do a little people-watching. It’s fun and if you meet someone interesting you can always take a romantic stroll through the garden center or go check out interesting gadgets such as light-up toilet seats.

Work it! One of my friends swears that Home Depot is the ultimate place for 50+ age women to hang out. She knows the hours when contractors show up and when the motorcycle guys cruise through. If she finds someone attractive, she pretends to need more than one bag of mulch and asks if the guy can help her put it in her cart. And then of course someone has to help her take it to her car. She even had a guy spend 20 minutes helping her select paint for her home. When she asked if he worked there, he said “no” and gave her a wink. Guys—just imagine the possibilities of showing off your skills!!!

Go when it’s less busy. I started going to Home Depot on Saturday nights because it was less busy and I could always find someone to answer my home-repair questions. Saturday nights are leisurely and if you look down the aisles you’ll notice muscular guys pretending to be checking out the power tools. And the women who are there are generally capable, working women who know what they’re doing or are willing to strike up a conversation to get help. It’s a perfect set-up.

And if you don’t believe Home Depot is the happening place… I confessed to a recent date that Home Depot is the new hangout. After dinner he said, “Come on, you’re taking me to Home Depot so I can see the action!” We sat on a loveseat together and not more than 2 minutes after sitting down, a guy walks by and gives my date a big thumbs up--as if to say, “Yeah, you got this!”

Dating Over 50: Home Depot Hook-Ups

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