COLUMN: The time my editors signed me up for Christian Mingle
Reciprocating a smile had never seemed so difficult.
For those fortunate enough to be unfamiliar with the term, a “smile” is an innocuous way of saying “Hey, I think I like you,” on the internet dating site ChristianMingle.com.
I started receiving emails from the website late Tuesday evening. Assuming they were just part of some sort of loosely aimed internet marketing scheme, I ignored them and thought nothing of it.
Then Wednesday morning while sitting in the Statesman office, I received a bundle of Christian Mingle emails with titles like “Your profile has been approved,” and “New member information,” and “You’ve received a smile at Christian Mingle.”
And this is the moment when chaos descends.
With a mix of trepidation and morbid curiosity, I opened one of the emails to discover that someone had deviously created a functioning profile for me, and whether I liked it or not, I was now part of the online dating community. When I shared this information with my co-workers, the reaction was an odd combination of faked surprise and malicious glee.
Now, I understand love can come from unexpected places. I’ve heard all the adorable stories of the couples who meet in the laundromat, or at the bus stop, or during a 2 a.m. Beto’s run. But being forced into the online dating neighborhood was literally the last way I expected to be exploring my dating options this week.
The week leading up to Valentine’s Day is a delicate balancing act for single people. It’s difficult to find the happy medium state of mind somewhere between being complacently single, and lying on the apartment floor strumming the chords to “Adam’s Song” in a sad state of near-unconsciousness.
Trying to be a good sport about the whole thing, I further explored my online dating profile and discovered it was actually pretty accurate, and somehow in fewer than 24 hours, I had received a “smile.” My first reaction was to discount it entirely, because seriously? I’m a 22-year-old in a college town full of beautiful people; I like to think I can handle things.
But then it dawned on me – if I could accept finding love in Beto’s or during a laundry trip or on the bus, why not from an unexpected source like … Christian Mingle?
Crazy though it may be, I sent the lovely young lady a “smile” back. I may not have a date this Valentine’s Day, but damn it at least I’ll have a good story to tell.
– Logan Jones is a sophomore majoring in journalism. Generally he sticks to writing sports, but he also plays the guitar and hopes to travel abroad someday. It’s really a wonder he’s still single. Send date requests to fudgeislove@gmail.com, or tweet him @Logantj.