matchmaker

so you know how when i was single, i was incessantly (and i mean that in an unhealthy, OCD way) on the lookout for potential boyfriends? scoping out men in elevators, office lobbies, fast food lines, metra cars, parties, and friends of friends for wedding rings and attractive footwear?



well, i realized today that i am still doing it. for my single girlfriends.



example A: on sunday my friend JR and i walk casually out of the church fellowship hall, picnic plates in hand, and scope out the available seating in the grassy lot next to the church. i see a table with 3 20-something unpretentious looking guys sitting with half a table wide open, and we make a bee-line. time for a quick but thorough assessment: Jesus? check. they seem like the real deal. cute? yes. in that sort of 'fixer-upper' sort of way that sincerely strapped-for-cash 20something boys often look. single? well, they are not sitting with girls, and they are not wearing wedding rings. also, quick convo reveals that 2 of the 3 have moved to chicago less than a year ago. things are looking good. for whom? for Roomate. yep, Roommate, you heard it here first. i am ON THE LOOKOUT. officially. so officially, that i even gave one of the funny, self-effacing job seekers my business card. we have a job opening at my office, and maybe he should look into it. because I WANT TO FIX HIM UP (with my friend).

he may be a little younger than you, dear Roomie, but certainly worth a go.

example B: professional, well dressed, volunteer-minded office temp in the cube next to me. this is EXACTLY the kind of boy one of my other friends should be dating. would she go for him? could i slyly arrange a meeting?

the things i ponder when i should be working.

when your brain undergoes a fundamental shift in thinking, do you notice? does it sort of feel strange, like a loose tooth? when you go from trolling every nook and cranny of your day for potential boys for yourself to the same behavior on behalf of your friends? this strange lack of competition. a fascinating level of objectivity that seemed totally absent from the hunt for a boy of my own. total confidence to approach someone with a "hey, i think you would like my friend. would it be OK if i set you guys up?"

i have no idea if my pretend pairings will be effective or ever amount to anything. and i am positive that my mental energy could be better spent on things like shifting my brain and heart focus back towards service and social justice, living greener, getting healthy, etc. but for now, it seems, my brain is very eager to see my dear friends matched up. i better cool my jets. this could get me into trouble for sure.