I had just decided that I was ready to begin dating again. At work, while having a conversation with a coworker, I asked him how he met his then-girlfriend and now-wife. He told me he met her through a dating app. At that moment in life, I was stubbornly against finding a mate online. I actually couldn’t tell you why I was, but I was. A week later, my cousin told me he met ladies on the same app. This is what made me give dating online some real thought. After all, hearing two people whose opinion I trust both mention the same dating service made me rethink my narrow views. A week after the conversation with my cousin, I decided to put my pride aside and make my profile. A few days went by with no action. Of course not—who trusts a profile without a face? So, I decided to take the next step: show my face with plenty of smiling pictures, including one with Elsa from the movie “Frozen” stamped across my cheek. My profile stated my love of cooking, a few favorite movies, and my love for “The Golden Girls.” I was ready. About two days after posting the picture with the Elsa face stamp and telling the world I love “The Golden Girls,” I received a message asking if there was mutual adoration for a woman with a head full of silver hair and a gigantic smile. It was Raychelle. My first message to her stated how much I loved her smile and pictures. Neither were lies. She mentioned the face stamp and also shared her love of “The Golden Girls.” Over the next few days, we shared messages until we finally heard each other’s voices for the first time. I instantly fell in love with her voice; it was mellow and assured. A little more than a week later, I was meeting Raychelle. We went to dinner, and after the meal, we went to Walmart. There, we bought Connect Four, and I spent an hour beating—I mean, teaching—Raychelle how to play while we just talked. By the end of the night, although I was tired, I was energetically beaming on the drive back home. All I could think was, “I just met my future from a dating app.”

I was burned out from dating...dating sites...men...all of it. I had recently created a profile on a site (that will remain nameless) when I came across Wade's profile. His smile and his love for Golden Girls caught my attention. We started chatting but I didn't take him very seriously. He'd message. I'd respond, and it would take him days to answer. When I mentioned I was getting off the site, he decided to ask for my number. Guess he didn't want to lose his good thing. We had our first date a week later, and it's been the two of us ever since.