One person’s Dating Blunder is another’s Dating Wonder

While women can stand in front of the mirror checking their partings are perfectly symmetrical, their eyelashes are an even number and their shoes match their eyeshadow, it’s worth bearing in mind that imperfections can sometimes be the key to turning a downhill directed date into a recipe for success.

My cousin Holly went out on a date once with Henry, who she met on a dating site.  The evening dragged, and although he was a decent chap, she decided he wasn’t for her and called it a day.  She wasn’t particularly disappointed by this as she already had another date lined up for the following evening with Ted, also from the same dating site.  They hit it off really well, and dinner turned into drinks, and as the night was still young, Ted suggested they visit his local bowling alley.

As they walked in, he spotted a friend of his.  “Nice to meet you”. Holly raised her eyes to be greeted with none other than Henry of Yesterday.  Cringe.  No, cringe is just not a powerful enough word to describe this situation. Her cheeks turned boiling red.  You could have fried bacon off her face. Henry quietly explained they were already acquainted. Should she pretend she had a twin sister?  Should she deny she had ever met him and suggest Henry’s milkshake was spiked with a hallucinogenic drug?  There was no obvious exit strategy.

Her body decided for her, as unable to contain the awkwardness, she broke down in hysterical laughter. Soon they were all in fits of laughter.  Ted saw a side of Holly that he liked, a side of her that laughed at life, and did not take herself too seriously, a side that said this lady might just be a keeper.

Coversely my friend Hannah went on a date and accidentally elbowed a bowl of spaghetti into her date’s lap.  He did not see the funny side, and asked her to contribute to the dry cleaning.  She still laughs about it today.  She has no idea if he does.  He’s not in her life anymore, having revealed his inability to take life on the chin and see the comedy in a crotchful of pasta.

Seems that while we spend a lot of time trying to achieve perfection in our dating experiences, we can sometimes forget the value of a gut churning blunder, and forget to appreciate the bonding potential that it brings.