My Coworker Came to Me for Dating Advice, and I Would Give Myself an F for a “Feeble” Attempt at Best

I listened and nodded — a lot.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

I consider it a bad omen every time someone brings up the topics of dating, relationships, and marriage (to name a few) around me. It’s especially jarring at work. At a luncheon recently, one of my coworkers jokingly mentioned birth control when we were talking health insurance — and the other women chuckled knowingly while I kept a tight smile on my face. I didn’t belong in that conversation.

Later that same day, my other coworker and I discussed dating apps. I’ve never used one, but I didn’t exactly volunteer that information other than the small gripe I made along the lines of “I wish I could meet someone the normal way.” I know only the vague bare minimum about what it means to swipe and get a match. My expectations deflated a bit when she mentioned one app uses some kind of technology (an algorithm, I assume) to assess how “attractive” you are to determine which options — the pool of eligible, potential partners — you can swipe through.

(It’s all very dystopic, if you ask me.)

This coworker then regaled me with some tales of her recent dating exploits, and I found myself quietly mesmerized. She’s only twenty-five to my thirty-one, so you can…