Jan Fowler

is author of the best-selling book, “Hot Chocolate for Seniors”(winner of national & international awards); winner of Gold Halo Award from the So. California Motion Picture Council for Outstanding Literary Achievement; winner of First Place Excellence in Journalism Award (SPJ –Southern CA); Town & Gown “Phenomenal Woman” Award; former television host & KSPA radio host of “Senior Living at its Best with Jan Fowler”; speaker, contributing author for “Savvy Women Revving Up for Success”; founder of Starburst Inspirations, Inc. 501(c) (3) nonprofit which supports Redlands Drug Court. www.janfowler.com. Jan welcomes feedback and comments about her columns and invites you to leave her a message on her website.

Best Places for Seniors to Meet

It’’s a numbers game, folks, and nothing more.  Each day is filled with countless opportunities for meeting strangers everywhere you go.  Especially when…..

1)      You get out of the house to go to work or to volunteer your time for a worthy cause.

2)     You enroll in a class ~ doesn’t matter what kind.

3)     You take a group bus trip to an enjoyable destination.

4)     You serve on a board or committee that supports your favorite charity.

5)     You volunteer wherever you are needed, be it your local hospital, Meals on Wheels, reading to children in local schools or to adults in retirement homes and skilled nursing facilities.

There are so many wonderful and inexpensive opportunities for seniors to meet potential like-minded mates.  The key is to keep an open mind, view every place we go as a possible meeting ground, and keep getting out of the house.  Why?  Because the infinite possibilities for chance encounters are endless!

Here is just one example.  Harry met Edna while pushing his tray alongside hers in the buffet line of a cafeteria-style restaurant where he casually began asking her opinion about some of the food choices.  All it took was a few minutes of pleasant conversation to spark enough interest and attraction for Harry to suggest that they sit together and continue talking over their meal.

Apparently, getting to know each other turned out to be so enjoyable that Harry and Edna decided to meet a second time at the same place!  And soon afterwards, this lucky couple began a ten-month courtship which led to a very loving happy marriage.

WHERE TO MEET FUTURE MATES?

For starters, here are three proven senior-meet-senior arenas where countless older adults have met others with common interests and shared passions.

The first is through some form of public service, such as volunteering or serving on committees which support worthy causes.  Next is by participating in faith-based group activities.  And the third is by attending a class~ it doesn’t matter what it is ~ be it a foreign language course, cooking class, art, photography, adult education, or music appreciation.

Just by staying involved and pursuing the interests which capture your attention you will always be brought together with like-minded people.  But it helps to keep putting your name and face out there every single day!

And by all means, make it a rule to accept all invitations which family or friends offer ~ no exceptions!

But it’s up to us to keep our dreams alive because ultimately we are responsible for our own fate.  Which means: smiling, always looking our best, making eye contact with strangers, and staying open to new friendships, everywhere we go.

To avoid loneliness, it’s important to stay active, mingle with others at the YMCA and senior centers, give back, learn something new such as a musical instrument or foreign language, feed your spiritual life, and be full of joy!

To be sure, one of the things we need most are daytime social or dating venues where seniors who don’t drive at night can be safely introduced.  And it sure helps to add a little music to your life to inspire the feeling of having fun, especially with like-minded people.  Besides which, music is a wonderful mood elevator, right?

There is still so much magic left in life.  For example, do you realize that your true love may also be seeking you this very instant?