It may be true. Looking back on my past relationships, most were borne out of school/college/graduate school friendships, and most took a bit of persistence on the part of the male at issue. (My girlfriends and I refer to this as the "wearing down" process. Eventually, you submit. You must, because resistance is becoming more work than submitting.)
The process now, admittedly, is more involved. Guy A/Girl A has to jump through hoop after hoop of dinner, drinks, rock climbing or whatever nonsense you will put them through, sleep overs, meeting friends, meeting other bored couples, meeting family, etc. How on earth does any poor soul get through the vetting process that is tough as (if not tougher) than the American presidential race? Dating is nothing less than a rigorous and treacherous communications campaign. You are in fact selling a product - a set of values, beliefs, and a history that you believe the other person will find attractive and acceptable. With the process mired in twists, turns, and terror, it is difficult to not eliminate as soon as you sense weakness. At the first sign of imperfection, I hear many girls (and boys) repeatedly tell me, "Well, I'm just too picky." Picky at what - age 24? 28? 33? 36? I imagine the chart looks something like this:
Clarification: people do not get more radioactive with age (although they don't get any better looking). This is science my friends, and the older you get, the less picky you are allowed to be. Hear that? That is the sound of the wedding bells of all your former friends and colleagues getting hitched, leaving you in a thinning pool of candidates (even if the pool is a superior one). Factor in your added "pickiness" and the pool will further diminish. When we were younger, we were excited if someone fairly cute and nice was "into us." We jumped headfirst into relationships without knowing where they were going; we took a chance on an imperfect person. Why all this risk aversion now? Granted, no one wants a time-bomb relationship, but in our Olympic 5000 yard, 600 hurdle, 10,000 foot long jump of the dating world, it's rare.
Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that I am a catch, much like the rest of you. I am any or all of the following: warm, confident, educated, nice, friendly, progressive, well-read, spontaneous, laid back, Arrested Development watching-biking-cooking-athletic-dancing-travel-trilingual speaking extraordinaire (See every OKC profile ever). That doesn't make me perfect. It makes me a great choice for another someone searching for someone in this crazy world. And maybe, if that person is a little less picky, they might choose a gal like me. Before I become radioactive, of course.
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