@2ndTimeIsTheCharm's recall of this story has me laughing, as I remember that well!!
One of the biggest reasons I'm single is because of what I call Dating Hypocrisy.
I've told the story often of when I was on Christian dating sites -- and one particular guy said in his profile that God made men visual, so he MUST have a beautiful wife. He then specifically wrote that only women who were or had been models, cheerleaders, and gymnasts (still in good form, of course!) should bother writing him -- women who didn't meet this criteria were just wasting his time.
The ironic part was that his photo was of a guy who was at least 50 pounds overweight -- with a very visible double chin.
Now, I know first hand how tough weight problems can be and almost EVERYONE has a little extra padding, especially as we get older.
But what I don't like is when someone DEMANDS certain standards from the other person that they in NO way, shape, or form actually meet themselves.
I was in CC live chat a while ago, and a man there started asking if I exercise -- then wanted to know what my specific exercise routine was. He was especially fixated on wanting me to include swimming in my routine -- when I explained swimming wasn't really my thing, he said that I could just run laps around a shallow pool.
Wow. I sure am glad I am my own person with my own interests, because you can see how much it mattered to him!!
The ironic thing is that if his profile picture was accurate -- he has a very evident beach ball belly.
As I said, I know almost everyone has a little fluff here and there, and it's not the fluff itself that bothers me.
I'm just not into someone demanding that that someone else needs to be slim and trim -- when they themselves look pregnant. All I ask is that you keep the same standard for yourself as you do for a potential partner.
And of course, I don't have a perfect body by any means.
I do what I can, working hard to try to keep myself healthy, and would hope the other person would do the same -- with each of us giving the other the grace to accept that bodies AREN'T perfect -- and will change over time.
I also don't like seeing women demanding that men must be millionaires and making 6 figures a year -- without contributing anything themselves. I realize they want to be stay-at-home moms, but these days, I truly believe women need to be prepared to do some kind of work, whether in or outside the home, to help their husbands with financial burdens. After all, we women are supposed to be helpers.
I have a mom who married my dad when they both had nothing, and they've turned out just fine -- by the grace of God.
My main point here is that I just firmly believe that people should not insist on scoring someone meeting mile-high standards that they themselves don't even come close to meeting.
