SARASOTA (WSNN) – Dating during a pandemic? No problem. There’s COVID cupid on the Suncoast.
“I can find people who already serious about finding love, not just to date,” matchmaker, a.k.a. cupid, Shana Tibi, said.
“Coronavirus came and it doesn’t bode well for dating to be honest, I mean who wants to be out? I certainly don’t, I’ve been home,” an anonymous 49-year-old divorced female from Sarasota said.
“It seemed like it was going to be impossible to meet somebody,” an anonymous 45-year-old single female from Sarasota said.
Not to worry, matchmaker Tibi is shooting her magical arrows of love, and setting up happy hour blind dates via Zoom.
“It’s easier to schedule dates when everyone is working from home, and no one is out traveling.”
Tibi says she combines her past life as a social worker, and use her intuition to match single, divorced, and widowed people between the ages of 35 and 60. She created Curated Connections, to find matches through her private database of daters on the Suncoast. Tibi also has a larger network of daters through matchmaking institutes. It’s all based on a system of core values.
“I like to interview people and understand what they’re looking for and they’re values so that’s how I start the process,” Tibi said.
That’s why Sarasota residents who wished to remain anonymous are using a matchmaker.
“Dating online via the apps has turned into a full-time job.” an anonymous 45-year-old single female from Sarasota said.
“I have kids, I’m looking for a relationship, I want a future, you know I’m 49-years old, there are different things you want at this age,” an anonymous 49-year-old divorced female from Sarasota said.
So they’re single and ready to mingle… virtually that is.
“It’s funny doing your hair and makeup for something, and you’re like, “For a date on a computer?” Ok, it’s a new world, but it was fine,” an anonymous 49-year-old divorced female from Sarasota said.
“I love doing zoom for the first date because then you’re not spending extra money if it doesn’t work out, you’re taking that extra time to drive someplace, it’s a quick way to see if you should take the next step,” an anonymous 45-year-old single female from Sarasota said.
Dating in person? A thing of the past.
“I think that a zoom happy hour date or a zoom date will be the new first date,” Tibi said.
Tibi calls the new normal low risk. You’re in the comfort of your home, and if it doesn’t go well, no harm is done.
Our anonymous daters have not matched yet, but they’re in it for the long zoom haul.
“I’m very patient about it, you know I don’t think I’m going to go out and go on multiple dates tomorrow anyway, corona is not going anywhere,”an anonymous 49-year-old divorced female from Sarasota said. “So, I’m pretty patient with finding the right match, and that’s the point of it, not just finding a match.”
Be patient, specific, and flexible.
As the poet Alexander Pope once penned, “Hope springs eternal.”
