The First Date …

Is there anything more daunting?

I’m pretty sure that as kids we all saw the way dating was supposed to work. Every TV show, movie, or book aimed at educating kids on the “Art of Love” carries the same message. Guy meets girl, builds up the courage to ask her out, gets nervous, backs out, finally does it, she says yes. Usually, there’s some creepy stalking in there for good mix too. Congrats kid, have a candy!

Our hero has won the battle, but wait! The war is far from over. At some point, it starts to dawn on him … Where exactly are you going to take your date-to-be?

“Oh, I know!” the kid exclaims. “I’m going to take her out to dinner, and then see a movie. Then I’m going to yawn and stretch and put my arm around her. Yeah, that’ll work!”

Let’s back up a second and look at this objectively. This kids plan is to carry a conversation between awkward mouthfuls of chicken parmigiana, and then sit in a pitch black room where talking is frowned upon to watch a movie that may or may not be any good. And then he’ll try and make a move on a person he barely knows.

No-one can blame the guy though. School teaches us how to calculate the hypotenuse of a triangle and derive third order equations where x=doughnut and y=rainbows … but learning how to develop intimate connections with other human beings?

NO!

CALCULATE THE DAMN HYPOTENUSE! AND STOP ASKING QUESTIONS!

So … Our ideas of what a first date should be are complete cactus. Going out for dinner and movies is a terrible first date. Forget about it. You have to get to know someone before you do that. And while we’re on the topic of forgetting things, put that book of Pythagoras Theorem in the bin too. You won’t be needing it. Ever.

Thus begins our solution. What makes a great first date? Just like grandma’s apple pie, there is a straightforward recipe you can use every time you’re aiming to leave a lasting impression on a date. Whether you’re a guy or a girl, it doesn’t matter. Remember these points and you’ll be a star.

1. Mix it up!

Let’s be real. Can you name two or three places you want to check out? I’m sure you’ve come up with a dozen, but can you settle on two? Here’s an absurd idea; go to all those places on your shortlist. On the one date. Yes, you read that right. Pick three. Maybe even four if things are going well.

It may seem counter-intuitive at first but think about it. Would you rather sit back and say “we went to dinner and watched a movie” or “we went to NASA and watched a space launch, then fought off an alien horde with Nerf guns, and then feasted on cupcakes while the saved kittens carried us around the world”? Ok so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but I digress.

It’s not ideal to just pick random places, however. It IS ideal to choose places that will help your date understand more about you and who you are as a person. Bring your date into your world.

2. Bring your date into your world

When you’re single and dating, it’s like you’re a boat at sea bumping into other boats at random intervals in perfect darkness. You bump into someone, and unless someone does something, the current will eventually drift you away until you bump into the next boat.

Let’s say in our sea of boats, there are little islands owned by the captains. These islands represent the things the skipper enjoys. Now two boats bump into each other, and instead of just sitting there, they visit islands together. Here are some examples;

• If you love arts and crafts, you sail off to craft island and make some cool stuff. Everyone loves paper mache!
• If you love animals, you sail off to an animal shelter and check out the animals. Maybe make a donation.
• If you love raiding other ships and walking the plank, then grab an eye patch and get pirating together!

Maybe don’t do the last one. Though it would be pretty cool. The idea is to take your partner and go do something that you actually enjoy doing. When you are enjoying yourself, you’ll find you can talk for hours and get to know each other beyond the surface level.

3. Communication

Have you ever been on a date and sat through one of those bone-chilling awkward silences? The kind that drags on for a time where you can actually feel the cogs grinding inside the brain? It’s horrible. If you don’t have anything to talk about, your ships will just drift apart and never see each other again.

So you take your date into your world, you sail together to places you enjoy. You do things. You talk about what you’re doing. You talk about each other. You learn more, they learn more. Open yourself up a bit. You know, be a little vulnerable.

Then at the end of the date, if the person never wants to see you again, it isn’t a complete waste. You brought someone else into your world, and even though they didn’t enjoy it, you spent time doing things you enjoy. It sure beats paying for a crappy dinner to sit in a cold movie theatre.

And that’s a wrap!

So there you have it. Three points to keep in mind when planning your date. It may be a first, fifth, tenth date, always remember the three principles;

• Mix it up a bit
• Bring your date into your world
• Communication is key

Profit! Success!