Today I got my first well-meaning "when you're ready, I'll set you up with"
I have a group of people I grew up camping with since I was a kid. Some I know better than others, some more peripherally as more like acquaintances. As we've gotten older, one or 2 times a year everyone gets together, spouses, kids, etc. My husband and I would hang out with them, see various ones in and out of the gatherings, catch up, but we hadn't been particularly close with them.
So this weekend, I met up with them - everyone expressed their condolences, asked his my daughter and I were doing, and then the conversation naturally went back to "talking about the good old days" (as it does). Toward the end of the gathering as I'm leaving, one of the guys goes "hey when you're ready, I'll set you up with Bill" (not his real name). His logic was he's a good guy, we have this shared experience, already know each other (I'd say he's one of the peripheral ones). I politely told him I'm not ready, and that I don't know when or if I would be. And nothing was made of it.
But it's stuck with me. Not because I am thinking about it (I'm not) but because I feel like as time goes on, it may happen more often. And my heart is in a knot. Because I never wanted to be in this place where this is my reality. I shouldn't be a widow. My husband is supposed to still be here. But he's not, and now suddenly I am being "evaluated" (is she attractive? Worthy of so and so / someone he would like) and it feels icky.
Posted May 24, 2026, 2:53 AM UTC