Getting Better & Playing the Field?

As you grow older, are you amazed to discover that you're accumulating more admirers than you ever had as a young woman?

In the topsy-turvy world that characterizes romantic relationships in the 21st Century, something else starts to happen.  And it can turn into a bittersweet juggling act.

Physically, you may have aged a lot better than many of your peers.  Aided by a little nipping and tucking, an improved fashion sense and plenty of workouts, you are probably more attractive, relatively speaking, than you had been in your teens.  Of course, there are countless women in your situation.  They far outnumber the men in your age group.  When you factor out those older men who were only interested in much younger women, the odds are even worse.

And appearing needy--at any age--is known to be a turnoff.  And among older men (at least affluent men), there is an added fear that you could be after their money, even if it isn't true.  After all, most of them come from a time when men were raised believing they were supposed to be financially responsible for a woman.  And certain older women still prefer it that way, irrespective of their own resources.

So why not get on with your life? 

Begin enjoying the freedoms that go along with being able to do whatever your want to do, whenever you want to do it; travel, go out several nights in a row without anyone complaining, play the dating field with abandon.

Variety could become the spice of life.  You could ski with the ones who ski.  Go to the theater with the theater buffs.  Enjoy opera with the opera lovers.  Savor the best restaurants with those who appreciate good food.  Trade one-liners with the funny ones.  And have challenging conversations with the best intellects.

And quite frankly, keeping a distance also can become a form of insurance.  Let's face it, older men, as the statistics warn us, have a limited shelf life.  If they haven't called in a while, you are far more likely to find them showing up in the obituary columns than in bed with another woman.  So, why put all your eggs into one shaky basket?

Source: The Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2008