With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, now all of a sudden those “Morning” or “hi” messages from Tinder seem so unappealing.
To be on a dating app there are a lot of risks involved, you can be ghosted – where you carry on an engaging conversation with a complete stranger for a week and then they disappear. You can also fall victim to a catfish- a person who creates false identity, uses fake photos in order to find romantic partners on the internet. You have tried all the dating apps but swiping, did not bring you the right person.
Take it back and start looking for your soul-mate in all of the usual places. Meeting that potential special someone often happens by accident but you can increase the odds of meeting someone you like by frequently visiting the right kind of places. The good news is that there are plenty of places for you to meet plenty of other fish in the sea.
Here are five places to meet people- and nope, none of them involve swiping of any kind.
1. Places of Worship
If you’re looking for someone who shares your faith, a match made in heaven (literally), try searching at your churches, temples, mosques and synagogues for your perfect partner. Religious groups often host numerous events like Bible studies, theology conversations, singles meet-and-greets and other community events. Meeting someone within your religious community could benefit your love life, now the only problem is that you can’t date lots of people at the same place of worship because you’ll get a bad reputation.
2. Work Happy Hour
You know those work parties that seem to always happen after hours? Instead of excusing yourself, get up and go to the party. Yes you saw your co-workers a few hours ago, but people act different when their bosses are not around. If you have your eye on someone at work and think they might feel the same, get talking to them. If you’re mistaken, and they were actually smiling at John or Sheila who sits two desks down, then it’s no big deal so long as you back off politely.
Even if you know, for a fact, that you will never date any of your co-workers, you never know who they might ask to tag along, from outside the office. They might- and this is a big might- have a cute buddy. So if a co-worker invites you for happy-hour, join them.
3. Take a class
Are you thinking of taking pottery class or photography class whose ad keeps appearing on your Instagram feed? Do it. Short classes provide you with the opportunity to meet people and make new friends. Signing up for cooking classes can help introduce you to others who are also making meals for one. You can also learn some pro tips from them if you missed what the teacher said during the lecture. Too many cooks in the kitchen, in this case, is not a bad thing.
4. Supermarket
Shopping for one? Hitting the supermarket after work?
When you think of where to meet people, supermarkets probably doesn’t pop into your head, but it’s a great place to find other single people, who are doing the exact same thing as you, shopping. Make sure you take your time because when you’re in a hurry, you’ll simply run in and back out. This doesn’t give you a lot of time to meet anyone. Instead browse the aisle a bit. So next time you’re in the produce section and you notice someone checking you out, asking for a fruit recommendation can help a conversation grow between you and another shopper.
5. Volunteering
Do you feel passionate about feeding or clothing the homeless? Do you volunteer your time to plant trees or clean the beach in Kilifi or Watamu?
It is nice to take time out of your busy schedule and give something back to the community. And while you’re making a positive impact in the lives of those around you and supporting important causes, you’re opening yourself up to the possibility of meeting someone new who can make a positive impact in your dating life. At the very least, you’ll make friends (with potentially cute buddies). At the end of the day, you can leave feeling good about the work you’ve done and the connections you’ve made.
It’s fascinating how many places you’ve never considered, places you enjoy, where you feel comfortable and safe can be opportunities to meet friends and develop long- lasting relationships. Sure it might just be the type of right place and right time situation when it comes to meeting the right person, but that doesn’t mean you can’t stack the deck in your favor.
