Matchmaker...make me a match

From Where I Sit Matchmaker, Make Me a Match Sept 13, 2011
Dating is a numbers game, but ohhhhhhh, such a tiring, exasperating ordeal to find someone you enjoy spending time with! Friends of mine have checked out various matchmaking sites, but only a few have actually found a few good dates. Others found that their so-called “exclusive” partner was still checking out other dating sites for more “possibilities”. Their “exclusive” match was unaware of these shenanigans.


One very determined friend had a long term email and phone relationship with a “harmonious” man who lived overseas. He portrayed himself to be a veterinarian. Everything seemed fabulous: he was very interested in her visiting him UNTIL she had a plane ticket to ride over the ocean to actually see this romantic gentleman. Then he asked her to postpone her trip because he had to “fly to Africa to save some animals.”



That did it! Kaput went that relationship! She had him checked out by overseas cousins who found that the man, who claimed to be a vet, never existed. He had posed to be somebody he wasn’t.


But who hasn’t wanted to be somebody else at some point in life? It’s not nice to toy with somebody else’s emotions! She could have put a hex on the imposter; I’d have understood.


Dating is difficult. Sure, today the internet world offers dating sites to help you determine which services will best suit your lifestyle. Users can discover possible matches from the 5 Best Dating Sites of 2011 listed on any internet search:

match.com, chemistry.com, perfect match.com, eHarmony.com, and spark.com.



Some guarantee that you’ll meet someone special in 6 months; some sites base their matches on personality and interpersonal chemistry. Some offer the latest matching technology of personality assessments; some are designated to create long-lasting relationships, and others provide members with comprehensive personality assessments.



However, few match-making sites can replace the excitement of a flirty smile or wink from someone across the room. But nothing can compete with a friend’s introduction to the “perfect mate for you”. My husband Dave and I are the results of a nudge from Maureen Fjoslien, a dear friend of both our mothers, who suggested that he and I meet. Thirty-two years later, we’re still together.



Of course, one has to have confidence that the recommending friend has good taste and knows what you want. Many arranged marriages have proved to be ageless...they seem to work. Most parents, those who know and understand their child, would choose a mate for her or him hoping that person would be an everlasting mate with a stable personality, be honorable, have a good sense of humor, and have a decent job.



Dave and I are now known as official matchmakers. Last weekend we attended the wedding of Katie and Karl, the successful result of our matchmaking skills.

Naturally, it all began at another wedding. We were seated at the wedding table of

friends whose daughter had recently broken up with a long-term boyfriend.

Well, Dave and I had a nephew we adore who had also recently become a very eligible single young man. Here we were at a beautiful wedding: one is bound to think of possible matchmaking. It was my natural inclination to suggest that our handsome nephew call this blonde cutie for a date. We knew they’d laugh together and have a great time. Dave called Karl, mentioning “Give her a call; she won’t be on the market for long!”



When the party ended, as they drove home, my friend told her husband about our matchmaking. Doug responded, “You gave out our daughter’s private phone number! What were you thinking? Katie might not like this.” Sarah replied, “Settle down, after all, he’s a Spilseth and an eagle scout!” What could go wrong with this match?



This weekend, three years later, Katie and Karl wed. Friends gathered for a lake ceremony while violins played and the Irish Blessing was sung: “May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields”...a happy ending from friends finding that perfect match. 699 words