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- Written by Tom Blake Tom Blake
This past December, a Harrisburg woman, whose nickname is Neet, was in the reception room of her doctor’s office. She started leafing through the December issue of 50plus LIFE.
An article I had written, “Men Have Trouble Meeting Women,” intrigued Neet. Right there, while sitting in the chair, she emailed me.
Neet wrote: “As I opened the paper, bam—I must admit I was very surprised to read that older single men have trouble meeting women.
“I am 59; the group of ladies that are in my circle range in age from 50-68. Whether they be divorced, widowed, never married, co-workers, church members, classmates, childhood friends, or neighbors, we all have the same issue as the men—meeting single members of the opposite sex is difficult.
“I was even ready to relocate until I read your article. If I could, I would introduce single men to single ladies in Harrisburg. I’m open for new suggestions for 2017!”
I thought about Neet’s email and began to think, wow, what if I did an article introducing her group of single women in Harrisburg to the older single men of Pennsylvania? Wouldn’t it be cool if some of the women met single men in the area?
Neet and I spoke on the phone. She told me about her group members and the activities they do together.
She said: “We’ve done church events, ladies’ retreats, wine tours, casino nights, cookie exchanges, paint-and-create sessions, on-and-off-Broadway plays, bus trips, and cruises. If single men in their 50s to 70s can’t meet women, come join us for an event or two. We will have fun together.”
Casinos they’ve visited include the Hollywood Casino in Grantville and the Maryland Live Casino in Arundel Mills, Maryland.
Neet’s group of traveling friends includes nearly 40 women. Some she’s known since relocating to Harrisburg in the eighth grade. Others attend the same church, and some are co-workers. A few are retired.
She added, “I’ve been divorced for 15 years. I’ve dated, even been engaged, but they weren’t the right one! Being in my late 50s, if I had just one wish, it would be to find true love before I leave this earth. So, I’m putting myself out there once again in 2017.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Neet added. “I enjoy spending time with girlfriends (because they are the laughs), but the topic ‘the lack of available men’ seems to always come up when we’re out and about.”
Tom’s comments: I think it is wonderful that a group of approximately 40 women, most in their 50s and 60s, get out and do things together. Why aren’t they meeting men? There may be two reasons: One, they may be pursing activities that men aren’t interested in, so the men don’t go to those places. For example, men don’t go to ladies’ retreats or cookie exchanges, and most don’t attend paint-and-create classes.