*Ann recently went on a date with a 5’9” man. At the end of the evening, the man said, “I like you. You’re cute. I’d like to see you again. But you’ll need to ditch the heels. We can’t have you looking taller than me.”
Ann is 5’ 8” sans heels. Apparently, Ann’s height directly affects her date’s ability to…er date her (or at the very least, stand beside her in public).
“Were you attracted to him?” I asked.
“He owns his own real estate company and drives a Lamborghini.”
“But are you attracted to him?”
She sighed and made a face like one would when offered leftovers from two nights ago. “It’s different at my age. You’ll see. You have to consider different things than you do in your 20’s and 30’s. So, he’s sensitive about his height and he seems a little needy. But he likes me, and he wants to take care of me. I don’t want to be alone. I need someone like him.”
Our talk went on, covering everything from his clean teeth to his affectionate texts. Still, my friend never did answer the attraction question.
Ann’s divorce isn’t final. She has three girls to raise and at forty, she says “a woman’s window closes quickly. A man has plenty of time. The window remains open for them.”
But I boldly disagree with my dear friend. The “closing window” is a myth, an illusion perpetuated by the cousin of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). This fear causes women and men alike to make choices out of some invisible pressure cooker. It is up to each of us to recognize the myth and do what YOU think works best for YOU, not what the mythical fear whispers (if not screams).
I am not stating that compromise isn’t a part of dating and personal relationships in general. But there is a fine but distinct difference between compromise and settling, between choosing to be with someone out of interest and choosing someone to purely have a “someone.”
Love can be found in the least expected places by people at any stage of life. And while the hunger to experience that love is real, there is nothing lonelier than spending time in the wrong company.
*Name is altered to retain privacy.
SHERI JACOBS 
Sheri: I tried to leave a comment but the link appears broken. Nor does the link work to other comments. Below is what I wanted to say:
I liked your Dating Myth blog. I would say the man who is concerned about the height of his date in heels may have deep concerns about his self-esteem and self-confidence. His concern appears to be about him looking good rather than getting to know Ann. If he makes this kind of demand on their first date, what will come next?
John Graham
Sent from my iPhone
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Thank you, John! I believe the site requires my approval to post comments. I also agree that Ann’s date has self-esteem issues. It’s a red flag that they already manifested on a first date.
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