I really don't know. No one asks me out. My girlfriends tell me I intimidate men.
I don't care. Like others I'm happy with myself and content. I believe in"never say never" I don't know what the future holds.

Hm...well...I am over fifty...and I am NOT looking for a mommy, a nurse, a caregiver or...a sugar mommy. I am for the most part self sufficient...except for SOME things I need help with...tying my shoelaces...buttoning my shirt...chewing bubblegum and walking at the same time. LOL. I am NOT religious...I am by NO MEANS...a republican...I don't know WHAT I am...liberal to a degree...I like women...My MOM was good to me...NOT looking for another, lol. Just a really NICE girl to hang with and grow together with. I can help you with the vibrator work if you'd like, lol...so you won't seem to be doing EVERYTHING alone. And I am a REALLY good friend...NOT gay but I LOVE shopping, for WHATEVER...and just hangin' with a cool chick...PLUS...I LOVE RED HAIR...OH YES. I am an Itallian Scorpio...one girl said...OMG...I DO NOT KNOW WHAT SHE MEANT. lol I'd LOVE to hear back from you.

I was told that at my age I shouldn't think about dating....so, I can't answer. )

Either very religious or damaged/bitter/just plain pissed off about relationships and the other sex in general. It's a minefield.

I'm well over 50 and my experience with dating men my age or older, is they're in a "break neck" hurry....I mean like they're going to die alone next week. I've even asked them "what's your hurry?" Be afraid, be very afraid!

Worked as a Chef for over 30yrs. I had very little time to build relationships or even see my family., Now that I’m retired I have all this free time. I’ve gotten so used to living alone so I rarely felt lonely. I have realized lately loneliness has been creeping up on me, and it is stronger than the acceptence of being alone.
Im basically an introvert and rely on dating sites to meet people. After 5 yrs of eHarmony I had quite a few dates but when it came to religous conversatios they were gone in a flash. So I went ahead and put on my profile that I was an Athiest..and poof all the responses disappeared.
I think dating over 50 can be a nightmare. Im hoping with this site finding someone compatible might be a liile easier. Really hoping to find someone to dance with until the end of love.

Yes, dating after 50 is very difficult. I think you might be on to something. Find a male friend who is gay, who is easy to talk to and smart .... and make sure you have several working vibrators. Life is not fair. Boo Hoo, Boo Hoo, Boo Hoo.

And then, when you do find someone who seems perfect, they are either the same gender or in Kentucky. :-/

Well I will agree with you on the political and religious aspects. After my divorce 10 years ago I started going on facebook and Classmates.com and went thru all the reunions. And it seemed alot of people I reconnected with had become religious and very conservitive, some very out of character from how I knew them from before. Its almost as if its expected to fit in again? I've been thru my share of relationships in the past 10 years. I guess thats why I gave up on the dating game too.But this web site has actually given hope to find some one who is at least like minded. I thank you all for being here.

LOL, yup.

It's been something of an eye-opener, joining the dating sites and finding myself in the middle of a crowd of "blessed" folks. I was raised fundamentalist, and the blatant hypocrisy was a huge factor in my questioning and eventual rejection of faith. When I see some of the stuff posted in "singles" forums by the supposedly god-fearing, it makes me wanna reach through the screen and slap somebody.

As far as youth goes, I admit I'm drawn to it on some superficial levels. But if I can get past the alure of all things smooth and firm, I know I'm more appreciative of more substantive qualities like experience and self-awareness, the kinds of things that only come with maturity.

Congratulations on the popular post. 134 comments and counting. That might be a record for this site. I've read through most of the comments and it's seems the prevailing observations are that we're all getting more picky (set in our ways) as we age and we all realize that being non-religiuos reduces the dating pool by 80 or 90 percent. The result is a paradoxical dilemma.

I don't have problems getting dates through traditional means. But it's been difficult finding a substantial woman who fits my preferences and I see myself as pretty open minded. I was hoping this site would create a positive opportunity for finding a long term partner. But mostly I see pessimism from the comments on this post. IMO most of the people here are accomplished, smart, and like-minded. Because of that I'm still optimistic and hoping there is someone here for me.

Even after a few years of being divorced my faith in believing there is some vibrantly beautiful woman to become in love with, is out there somewhere is firm. Am more OK than last year being alone but my friskies isn't going to let me be content in lonliness. Hugs and squeezes are more thsn an urge... I'd term them nutritious in an essential nature...

Gave up on finding. someone near me am 57 and find that a lot of my peers aree now bigger asswipes than me and I've spent my lifetime pissing everyone off

No FWB for me. Nothing casual, either.

If you're a 50+ man with a pulse and common sense all you must do is make yourself available and the women will hunt you down. I've been chased no fewer than 7x the last few years and I am certainly no prize. Thankfully they're most all churchies and as soon as they find out I am a heathen Buddhist they give me space. I like my simple, unattached, low-T life. Plus chicks are so busy man. I prefer to hang out, listen to The Wall, discuss world events, drink some tea, smoke some weed, and philosophize. If we need to boost the energy then I put on the Violent Femmes. Most women shy away from my preferred lifestyle.

So many raised in the fold, seem to see their later years as a time to hunker down and cram for the final they anticipate at the Pearly Gates. My mom (85yo) and my uncle (90yo), who were wild and crazy in their youth, (so the stories go,) are bible thumping church folks now.

To compound the situation, I find that it so prevalent that so many have built up walls in place, or are so opinionated and/or set in certain issues - that they are no where in situation to be an equitable candidate for a possibly healthy relationship.

I tried to do that dating thing at first. But the ones who I have things in common with are my age and they are so set in their ways that we can't match schedules to do anything. The younger ones just annoy me. And I really just value my free time and lack of attachments. All the ones who talked to me about going out and I am good friends with them all now but I am just too set in my ways. And they all seem to be churchies. namaste.

There are good people out there. I found some secular groups around town, and went to some meet ups, met some cool people, but I like for my wife to accompany me in social settings and she being Catholic doesn't always enjoy going to atheist meetings and such.
All that to say, I wish I had found some of those groups when I was single. It would have helped me to meet like minded people.

I have spent many years alone, and content. now though, in the past couple of years ,I have been seriously thinking I don't want to spend the rest of my life single. I have no clue really how to get from point a to point b. I think for myself I can only try to make myself a better prospective partner. I read something once that suggested that the downfall of most relationships has to do with getting into said relationships for all the wrong reasons. the book went on to suggest that people would be more likely to succeed if they approached relationships as the vehicle for personal growth that they were meant to be. aaaaaaannnnndddd then went on to explain that relationships were also more likely to succeed if the people involved saw the potential for growth in their relationship with god. (facepalm).

I'm laughing through the tears here. You really said it all. May I add the many candidates who post pictures of all their toys, motorcycle, speedboat, ad nauseum? WTF?! Just my luck that I'm the monogamous marrying kind. It's really the pits.

No, it's not just you. I've been through almost all of the same things!!

It took a while but finally I figured out that the problem is me not them. I really do not want someone underfoot, worried about this, that, or the cat. I do not want the drama, the heartache, nor the lack of freedom to fart as I please.

I'd ask you out if I were in your area. Unfortunately my arms aren't 500 miles long. That might make holding hands kind of trickey

I have had the same problem. I live in a smaller city, so the dating pool isn't that large to begin with. Plus, it's also a very conservative, mostly Christian community. Like you, I have noticed that the rest want a care giver, someone to support them cuz they're broke, interested in someone MUCH younger, or, you guessed it, Republican. After a decade of searching, I have essentially given up. I'm not willing to suffer through a church service or sit in a dive bar just to find a date.