What If We Had Met Somewhere Else?

It’s no secret that there is an addictive quality found in dating apps with the act of swiping.

Power to choose and its ups and downs.

A million micro-decisions that may or may not lead somewhere. Or maybe they lead you on a date with a guy who took you out to tell you he’s seeing someone else. That’s always fun.

But meeting someone in real life? There’s a different feeling that comes with it, sharing a small smile with someone standing next to you in line at the store.

It’s refreshing want you don’t have to skim through bland prompts that they half-heartedly filled out, or see a few selfies they took of themself last year.

And in that moment, that smile in the store, I may wonder, would I swipe right on you?

On the inverse, I think about people I have dated, and I wonder if they would catch my eye in the real world.

Is the excitement of a real-life connection something to seek out? Does it fade as quickly as it appears?

Does messaging someone for a week and getting to know them before meeting impact “the spark” when you see each other in person?

Maybe I’ll always kind of wonder. Maybe these apps were fun during the pandemic (and by fun, I mean a learning experience), but doesn’t life happen outside?

Please let me know what you think in the comments! Did you meet your partner on a dating app? IRL? Feel free to share the details!

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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