A friend volunteered to arrange my personal life and introduced me to a man, but from the first date I ran away with my heels flashing.

With all the modern opportunities to find a mate, such as dating apps, various sites and just meetings on the street, young people still sometimes hang out and do not know. What to ask when you meet Your potential partner. In the past, people didn’t have many interests. They listened to the same music and watched the same movies. It used to be easier. Now, when the range of interests is simply huge, this has become a serious obstacle to the development of nascent relations.



With the development of the Internet, the world has become more compact. And at the same time, it got deeper. New hobbies, subcultures, views on life appeared. And, interestingly, this problem also did not pass by the older generation. In the past, adults knew what they needed and expected from their partner. Because everyone lived relatively the same way. And now we have to look closely at "these eyes opposite." What's on their mind this time?

How often do you review old, paper photos of your childhood? I had a period like this. I looked at my parents, uncle, aunt, trips to the sea and other memorable events. And I've always been struck by one fact. How old people looked back then. Here's my mother. Now I'm in my 50s, and I look at her when she was about the same age. It would be difficult to call us peers, really.

Of course, there is a logical explanation for this. My parents lived in a small village and worked hard, so to speak. And I've lived all my life in the city, sitting in a cozy office, working as an accountant. In addition, I tried never to overdo it, followed and continue to monitor myself. Gym, cosmetic procedures, yoga. And, you know, it bears fruit. You can see it with the naked eye.

Your attitude to life probably has its weight, too. Remember when we used to be told not to throw away food and things weren’t thrown away until they were worn out? Now it is normal to change the wardrobe almost once a year. Most clothes that have not even had time to wash, throw away simply because it is out of fashion. Of course, it is a pity to throw something expensive and high-quality, but mostly to the landfill. That's how the world works now.



My marriage was ruined, so my next marriage ended up in a dump. Mom and Dad lived together until the end. Naturally, they had quarrels. It even got to the point that my father went to live with a friend for a few weeks. It was such a tense situation at one point. But they always reconciled, found common ground, and everything returned to normal. But I got married three times, and every time I parted, I wondered how little modern families needed to break up.

The first time, in his youth, the cause was banal treason. I get it. Nothing new, a situation familiar to many. The second marriage broke up over money. We couldn't keep up with each other. And if my ex wanted to, I was not ready to wait for him from business trips and cook borscht alone. At that time we already had a child, but our forager still could not catch the "mammoth." The third marriage went down 5 years ago. It was like a thunderbolt in the clear sky. But the initiator was a husband who preferred his colleague and a long-time acquaintance to me.



Since then, I have no longer depended on men. It's much more interesting for me to live. My son got married a long time ago and feels great. We talk on the phone sometimes, so I don't feel lonely or abandoned. In addition to work, I still have a lot of different hobbies: travel, dancing, cinema. Believe me, if you spin where you feel good, you do not want to think about relationships. And for what?

And then one day my friend volunteered to find me a new man. And not just someone, but a man of dreams. Everything with him: lean, with noble gray hair, tall, earns well without bad habits, and in addition to everything younger than me by three years. Widower. Well, what do I care? But my friend didn't stop. Go out with him, he says. You guys are a great match, so I see you as a couple.



The only problem, I thought, was his addiction to country life and active sports. He had a big two-story house, much bigger than my two-story downtown. He also liked skis, skates, football. In general, men's sports. Which, in fact, I was not very seduced, but also did not disgust. He has his own hobbies, and that’s great. You can't lure me into this. I'm fragile, you know.

One way or another, after rummaging my ears with her stories, my friend persuaded me to meet this mysterious stranger named Gennady. At that time, I had everything planned out, so it took me a couple of weeks to prepare myself morally. I should've blown up the annual reports, sorted out some other stuff. Well, I didn't want to sacrifice my hobbies, so yes, it's been a while. Who cares, though? A man can wait for such an occasion.

Our meeting took place in a small and cozy restaurant. Do not think, I am not one of those who requires constant courtship and handouts from a partner. It was he who insisted, besides I immediately said that I would pay my share myself and that there should be no objections on his part. Gennady agreed, so the evening promised us an excellent relaxed communication of two mature, accomplished people.



When they brought us the second, I already felt completely on my plate. I love people who know how to balance in a dialogue, on the one hand, not being too solemn, but not going into frank panibraty. You can make jokes wherever you want. And sometimes you can keep quiet. Gennady knew all this, and he felt a keen interest in my life, in my person. And I responded in the same way: I honestly talked about my past, trying to get around sharp corners, but not melting anything.

Towards the end of the evening, I, happy and cheerful, frankly asked my companion how he saw his union with the woman he liked. And he answered, quite honestly and openly. Since he has a small farm outside the city, has animals and a vegetable garden, his days with his beloved woman should be very busy. We've been up since morning. Then housework. Care for animals and future crops. Slowly, without bigotry. But until lunchtime. Then a short break and continue to work – everything is like our ancestors. They were not afraid of work and lived for a hundred years.



You know, I must be a bad actress. Because within a second, my newfound date even changed his face when he saw my reaction. I didn't expect that, I confess. A man with money, dressed with taste, and wants his woman to become a serf? That's a twist. I called the taxi myself, after 15 minutes of talking about nothing. That's how shocked I was. The next day, my friend learned a lot about herself, albeit in jest, but only for the reason that I had already recovered from the shock.

Women, my advice. Shooting your eyes and talking about nothing with a man in a restaurant is good. But do not forget why all this is necessary. Let your partner know what you expect from him. Both you and your precious time will not be wasted. This is very important these days, believe me.