The Bar or Coffee Date?
*Samantha and *Matthew are good friends. Both are divorced, though Samantha is 10 years post the end of a marriage and Matthew is in the embryo stages of life after divorce — a few months shy of a year. Friends since college, there is an ease between them that can only come from a combination of time and knowing each other in their formative years.
Since Matthew’s divorce, their friendship has morphed into an unspoken mini therapy group of two: sharing each other’s trials and tribulations in the dating world. Matthew wants to get laid; Samantha wants to experience a romantic relationship. Their different goals cause the other to shake their head.
“Why are you wasting your time on a coffee date?” Matthew asked.
“I want to get to know the person.” Samantha said.
“But you can’t make out with a person in a Starbucks.”
“I don’t want to make out with a total stranger. You do?”
“Uh, yes! That’s the whole point of meeting at a bar.”
Both have approached me separately, telling me how foolish they think the other person is. They are both right…and wrong.
Matthew is newly divorced and still licking his wounds from his ex’s desire to end the marriage. “I was happy,” he tells Samantha. Married for almost 19 years, the only roles that remain constant in his life are father and business consultant. Overnight, he’s gone from living in their family home to residing in a one-bedroom bachelor pad.
“What are you looking for on all those dating sites?” Samantha’s asked.
“I don’t know. Nothing serious. I’m all messed up now. But I’m still a guy.”
So, Matthew meets women at bars. For now, this works — for him. He doesn’t want a relationship now; he wants to “make out” and wake up the next morning and drive his daughters to school. He wants physical intimacy without emotional intimacy; he wants easy sans — for now — self-reflection.
Samantha wants to get to know someone without alcohol coursing through her veins. She doesn’t want the commitment of a meal with a total stranger. She wants to pay attention to the person she meets without the distraction of loud music or the subterfuge that comes with a smoky, dark bar.
“Meeting at a bar just sets up a different set of expectations,” Samantha says.
“Exactly,” Matthew says.
Again, they are both right…and wrong.
Both Matthew and Samantha are dating the way that works best for each of them. They’re both honoring what they need. The issue between them is wanting the other to live through their lens; the dating diet that works for each of them is a prescription that works for them and them alone.
Matthew is hungry for physical intimacy; Samantha is hungry for emotional intimacy. Both have different ways of acquiring what they want. Both are good people figuring out what works best for each of them.
When it comes to dating, honor the journey you are on. Decide what kind of dating style works for you. There is no right or wrong when you heed your intuition.
- Names have been altered to retain the privacy of individuals.
https://sheri-jacobs.com/2022/04/14/the-bar-date-or-the-coffee-date/