Our client B.R. has blogged about his dating experience with IJL, here is his next post and he has good news to share!

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Gotta hand it to It’s Just Lunch — they got it done for me.

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that I joined It’s Just Lunch several weeks ago. In what seemed like a relatively short period of time, the coordinators set me up on numerous dates, which I thought was fabulous. A couple of the early meetings turned into second dates, but nothing had gone beyond that, until….

Until I met my date for a particular Thursday night, a date that came at the end of a string of 3 or 4 dates in a row. In addition to IJL dates, this was during a week in which my sister introduced me to someone she thought was “perfect” for me, and coming on the heels of meeting another very attractive and fun woman the previous Friday night out with
friends. Rather suddenly, I was dealing with the prospect of having too many romantic possibilities at once (not bragging here, just saying this is what happened) — something for which I give a lot of credit to IJL, both for setting me up with great women but also for giving me great dating practice.

Anyway, on that Thursday night, into the restaurant walked a woman who just somehow and in some way really caught my interest. Apparently I caught hers too, because by the end of the night, we had exchanged phone numbers (to text about something we had in common) and the next morning she texted me to invite me to an event. We ended up getting together that night for some wine and conversation (the event waited until the following week), and by the end of that night I knew she was someone I would want to see again — and again, and again.

So I called my coordinator at IJL and said it might be time to take a break; what IJL refers to as going “on hold.” My coordinator was happy to hear that it was because I was interested in pursuing someone IJL had matched me up with; I told she had done her job and done it well!

About a day or two later, I got a letter informing me of my hold status — with a great handwritten note from the team at IJL.

So for now, that’s my story — a true IJL success story. It’s still too early to predict what will happen with this new relationship or potential relationship. If it works out, IJL matchmakers and my coordinators get huge props — they set me up on some great dates, and in the end matched me with someone I am excited to have met, and who I doubt I would have met in any other way. If, for whatever reason, it doesn’t work out with the new object of my affections and attention, then still kudos to IJL and the coordinators, who set up some great dates resulting in engaging conversations with several women, one of whom has already interested me enough to say, “hold, please!”

Thanks IJL!

B.R.

B.R. will be blogging about his experience dating with IJL…here is his first post! ____________________________________________________________________________________

Two things have improved in my life in the past month: my tennis game and my dating “game.”

On the tennis courts, I re-connected with an old pal who has been playing more than me in recent years. Also discovered that a business partner plays quite a bit and so now we’ve had some good matches. Lo and behold, after a few sets, I started noticing I could move the ball around the court again, put more spin on key shots, hit the angles and even hit a crisp forehand or backhand winner under pressure — sweet! Awesome.

In dating, I found It’s Just Lunch. After my initial interview, they set me up on a couple of dates — and lo and behold I had gotten a bit “rusty” at this too. A three-year relationship had ended a year ago, and I had been focused on other things (business issues, family
matters) during the past year. Also wanted the time off before getting back into dating or relationships — just what works for me.

So heading to the first couple of IJL dates was like picking up the tennis racquet again after a few years off. My game was a bit shaky at first, but soon enough muscle memory (is there such a thing as “emotional muscle memory”? — hmm, I wonder) started to kick in again. And even the “mis-hits” (in the case of dating, the dates where for whatever
reason there didn’t seem to be enough initial chemistry) started feeling less awkward and more like part of the game, along with the rediscovery that even if your game is not “perfect” (not every shot is a winner; not every date is going to be your soul mate), there’s something to be said for how much more enjoyable it is to be “back in the game” rather than sitting on the sidelines as others hit the winners.

Another interesting thing has happened too, in both tennis and in my dating life. Once I started playing tennis again, I ran into more and more people to play tennis with. I had been working beside my business partner for many months and the subject of tennis never came up until I started describing a match I had played a few days before. On the court playing singles with my friend, two guys on the adjoining court asked us for a doubles match, which was great (we won 7-5, huzzah!) and we may do that again. The point is,
the more you do something and enjoy it, the more likely you are to find more ways to do the same thing, and continue to enjoy it. A virtuous circle, so to speak.

And sure enough, IJL dates have led to more dates. Not only repeat IJL dates, but suddenly my sister has someone I “really should meet.” Office mates are not only interested in hearing about how dates have gone, they suddenly seem to know single people I might be interested in getting to know.

Not sure if your experience will be similar or the same, but I can tell you, for me at least, that IJL dating has led to feeling more relaxed, confident and comfortable in other dating situations and in social settings in general.  Even if every date or every match is not perfect (and again, they won’t be), it becomes excellent practice for when that right person comes along, which will be….sweet! Awesome.