Life begins again at 60, right? Well, it does if you have the right attitude and know that age is just a number.
You can downsize and enjoy the freedom of less stuff; you can start a new business or volunteer; you can pursue long deferred dreams; or you can try new things – which is one of my favorite ways to keep myself feeling youthful and dynamic.
You can even find love – for the first time, for the fourth time… whatever it is, you’re never too old to find love.
Helen Krasner of Derbyshire, England is a good example of this. By the time she reached her 60th birthday, she had led a successful, exciting, and fulfilling life by most standards. She had worked as an occupational psychologist, a market research consultant, and a helicopter instructor.
She had walked around the whole coast of Britain, visited more than 80 countries, and flown almost all types of flying machines. She loved where she lived, and she had a nice life writing for a living.
She also had her cats. But that was the problem. She had her cats, and all that other stuff, but no romantic relationship. She worried she was going to end up an elderly “cat lady.”
Helen tried some online dating, but she didn’t find anyone suitable. So many of the men her age were looking for someone younger. And then, just as she was about to give up, she came upon a profile written by a cat-loving man.
He wrote well, and he sounded interesting, but he was a bit younger than Helen. She didn’t reach out to him at first, but then she finally decided to take a chance. They talked on the phone regularly for a couple of months, but he didn’t show any inclination to meet.
Then Helen got a new Maine Coon kitten, and that motivated the cat-loving man, David, to visit her. He came to Helen’s house to meet the kitten – and the rest is history.
Helen says, “I still can’t believe that, at the age of 61, I finally found my soulmate. I am now 71, and life just gets better and better.”
Helen is a mere baby compared to Queen Lori of Indiana. Lori’s three daughters wanted her to try online dating – at age 87. She finally agreed to do it even though she thought it was a crazy idea.
After the girls realized that Lori wasn’t checking her results on Match.com, they took over and contacted a gentleman who hadn’t given up when Lori failed to answer him.
Like her, he was a former educator, loved to dance, and enjoyed watching football. After talking on the phone for two weeks, Lori reluctantly agreed to meet him for lunch.
That led to dinner dates, ballroom dancing, theatre, and Indianapolis Colts football games with his season tickets.
After a few months, he proposed in the middle of the dance floor. Lori said it was too soon, but then a year and a half later, they got married, and on their honeymoon cruise, they even won “The Newlywed Game” contest among the passengers.
Lori says, “Now, almost two years later, we still feel like newlyweds and have recommended Match.com to others, some of whom have connected.”
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We see romance after 60 all the time. It always starts with taking a chance. And that’s not really so hard, is it?
If it doesn’t work out, you’re just back where you started. Most people grapple with taking that first step, and they even have some funny stories to tell about the bad dates they had before the magic occurred!
Be open-minded about the age of your dates.
Just be yourself. Everyone looks older when they’re older!
Share what you love doing, but also be willing to try new activities.
If you’re “rusty,” admit it. Your date is probably just as nervous as you are.
Do you agree that you’re never too old to find love? How are you making yourself available for dating and romance? What has worked for you? Please join the conversation.
Tags Senior Dating Advice
I’m 80 year old in love with a beautiful 30 year old female n she is in love with me average looking guy what do I do I feel bad for her because I could be death any time I’m in pretty good health she is drop death gorgeous what do I do I’m so confused driving crazy
i’ve been trying the on-line dating thing for more than 2 years off and on (funny how my age has increased yet these same men have remained the same age, see below for what this means), and have experienced nothing other than rejection, dismissal and worse. it seems that a truly open and receptive man could be found on the street, at the library, at a fire drill; trouble seems to be, again in my experience, in real world time and space, the men in my age group are making fools of themselves for younger women. there is an element of good fortune, which many of us do not have. not trying to be negative, simply speaking to my truth.
So true, so sad, so discouraging. I’m so lonely
Plus I foolishly signed up for a monthly payment for a year. So I’m paying for a service which is nothing more then a scam . I refuse to believe I’m so unappealing .
I agree, you’re never too old to find love. I was 65 when I met the man whom I later married. I too, joined match.com and was happy when I received a message from my now husband. Even though I was busy teaching and wrapping up the school year, we kept in touch by texting and phone calls for about a month. We finally met and I was pleasantly surprised how down to earth and polite he was. He came across as a true gentleman. Very understanding and allowing me space to take my time in getting to know each other. We dated and eventually married two years later. I used to be quick to acknowledge that I was better off single before I met my husband but now my mentality is much different. My Iife is so much better by having a loving man who loves and understands me. Never give up on finding someone who can enrich your life.
Online is being touted as the way and the truth and the light for dating, but I’ve found it to be a waste of time and even worse, when you have to pay for it. I agree, you’re never too old to find love, but what about other ways aside from sitting at a computer all day?
I agree Maxine! I’m 65, had a fantastic career, retired and still full of energy. I tried online dating with a lot of disappointment. Men my age seem to just want friends with benefits or a one night stand. I’m no longer on a dating site and looking for other suggestions or ideas of how women my age met men they connected with that doesn’t require hanging out at a bar.
Totally with you Maxine. For the vast majority there isn’t a happy outcome. It has been said that about a third of profiles on dating sites are fake!
This article sounds like a plug for dating sites. I would say to Ladies over 60 ( including myself) just get out there and enjoy life – then you’ll make new male and female friends!
Most men on online dating sites will be looking for someone/something different from you. I tried online dating for about 3 months in late 2019, at the age of 69. In that time, I simply ignored the many approaches that wanted something I didn’t, or that looked like scams. I kept a link to the profile of each man I interacted with online – a total of 40. I lined up coffee dates to meet 12 of these, at the rate of one or two a week. After my 10th coffee date, I cancelled the remaining two. Although number 10 had sounded nice enough, I didn’t think we would be compatible, but after we met, I changed my mind, and we were married 6 months later, at the beginning of our state’s first lockdown.
Online dating is just a tool for meeting people, and it can be time consuming, but it can also be well worth it.