My husband and I are both … hmm … how shall I put this? Let’s go with finely tuned and move on.
We’re also products of different cultures. (I’ve often thought of charging admission to some of our entertaining conversations: the optimistic, anything-is-possible American (me) exchanging views with the pessimistic Cold-War-era German from West Berlin.)
To cut through all of our (various, hilarious, absurd, genuine) objections to any proposed plan for having fun together, we’ve invented our own version of the blind date.
Here’s an example of how it works:
- He: “Gracie, what are you doing on Saturday night?”
- Me: (Shrugging) “Nothing, I guess. What’s up?”
He: “Then we’ll leave around 7:45 – right after dinner.” - Me: (Perking up) “Cool. What should I wear?”
He: “Nice, but not fancy. And dress warmly.” - Me: “You do that on purpose, don’t you? Just to torture me with too little information.”
- He: (Folds his arms and smirks)
- Me: “Oh, well. What do I care? If it’s a blind date, you’re paying, right?”
- He: “Yup.”
Our rules are:
- The person who invites pays (this minimizes objections from the invitee).
- The person who invites aims to please the invitee, even if unexpectedly so.
- The person who invites is not required to tell any more than is strictly necessary.
- The person who accepts the invitation doesn’t complain.
We’ve both been wowed and charmed as the “blind” person in the equation, escorted to experiences we’d never have chosen – or even agreed to – had we known in advance what they’d be. And we’ve both had the gleeful pleasure of the visionary escort, crafting experiences that delight us both.
Like traditional blind dates, our version opens up possibilities. Unlike the traditional version – thankfully – we know we’ll be spending time with someone we already love.
This version of blind dating works with all kinds of relationships, not only romantic ones. Evolve it for your own best use. And report back here, would you? I’d love to know how things go.
Flickr photo: Blind Light, by Anthony Gormley, on ricoeurian‘s Flickr page as within the fog…
Related reading: Funny Practice, How to Mingle at a Party | Tips for the Timid
