On whether or not you're ready to D-A-T-E as an older woman.

Birds do it, bees do it, even flowers and trees do it, let's do it! Let's fall in love! Da. Da. Daaaa.
Yeah, except it's not as easy as that, is it?
I've been single for hmmmmm...eight years now. Why is a personable, attractive, intelligent woman alone?
By choice, that's why.
I'm not saying I'm not interested in eventually finding "Mr. Right." I just don't think he has to be "Mr. Right Now."
I've watched reams of my single girlfriends date online, and so far, I can name only one couple I personally know who met online and are happily married. Or even happily, monogamously engaged in . . . whatever.
Most such relationships are weighted heavily toward the male interests . . . wham, bam . . . this email's spam!
Look, I know many women consider themselves "liberated," and that's great. But at the bottom of it, men and women may (I say may to avoid gross generalizations) want different things.
They say men don't remain single very long after divorcing or becoming widowers.
Women may remain single until they meet their maker.
Why?
Men may want somebody to take care of them and their house.
A line from the Broadway musical, "Hello, Dolly!" says, "Marriage is a bribe to make a housekeeper think she's a householder." Yow!
Now, if that's your idea of heaven, go for it, sister! I'm not going to judge!
But I'm not looking for a man to add to the list of people I need to see to every day. I already have five kids, a dog and two cats for that. And a bunch of employees. And various people on various committees.
I'm full-up on dependents, thank you very much!
And consider this. I'm over 50. Therefore, men I may date will generally also be over 50. I'm not interested in taking on some old man's declining health years, and getting stuck taking care of him as he sits, corroding, in his arm chair each night after work.
"Martha! Get me my heating pad and my e-cigs!" No. Thanks.
And when it comes to the, er, physical side of things, I think it is biologically easier for men to be casual about things. (Assuming there's anything to be casual about over age 50.)
They've got that whole sow-yer-seed imperative, right? I've never come across a man crying in the morning from regret about a decision made the night before. Nuff said?
Women tend to take things a bit more seriously. Not all of us, I know! Some are very happy-go-lucky, care-free, if it feels good do it. But me? I just can't be that way.
Why? Reasons!
I have kids in my home. I WILL NOT bring a man here, with the kids here. End. Of. Story. You want to screw up your kids? Subject them to a long line of boyfriends/daddies/uncles. Yeah. That'll do it.
Plus, there's danger there, sisters. Don't kid yourselves. You meet some dude online, and you're going to bring him into your home a couple of cups of coffee later? I don't think so! You're begging for trouble of one kind or another.
Also, I can't, as liberated as I may be in other areas, go for "casual ahem."
Not made that way. It would mess me up. I KNOW this.
I guess I'm the marrying kind. Or the staying-single kind. All or nothing. Hope I don't come off as cynical, but it is what it is. I guess I'm just skeptical by nature!

So, I'm going to just keep on keeping on. If the good Lord wants to match me up with someone, he'll plop us down together in some situation where we're forced to socialize, and find out we like each other.
So girlfriends, stop trying to set me up with your brother, cousin, uncle, dad! for Pete's sake. (You know who you are.)
And when I'm ready, if I'm ever ready, I'll find my own date for the prom.