• @syreus
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    06 hours ago

    It sounds like online dating is a boon to you. As far as your hobbies go you should try branching out into less male dominated ones. Sometimes you meet someone that you can spend time in each other’s worlds but maintain your own as well. It sounds like you have some real barriers to overcome.

    • TonyOstrich
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      25 hours ago

      Like I said, it’s my only option really, but been doing it when out of a relationship for at least a decade.

      Not to be too snarky, I know you are just trying to be helpful, but I have tons of hobbies I enjoy and not enough time and money to enjoy the ones that I do have. I’m not looking for someone that shares my every hobby, but the only women I seem to connect with are of the engineering STEM type, but the interest has always been very one sided.

      Another unfortunate part of our current reality is that life at this point almost assumes there are two working people in a household. It can be very difficult just getting daily and weekly responsibilities done with any time left over.

      Then being told that despite doing everything society says one should do and be to be desirable to a partner (including being understanding and respectful of others struggles, trauma, neurodiversity, etc.) basically being told I just need to be more social is infuriating. So the fact that I’m introverted and find lots of social interaction taxing is something I need to get over, but I need to just accept that I will never have someone ASK ME out and I need to be patient and understanding with everyone I interact with?

      I said, I know you are just trying to be helpful, and this frustration isn’t directed at you, but life more generally. It’s something I have gotten a lot of and feels a lot like “hopes and prayers”. It’s a reaction people seem to have wanting to somehow cognitively decouple from the core root cause and find a way to other me and what I need to do so that they don’t have to really engage with and think about the cold reality of it all.

      • @syreus
        link
        114 minutes ago

        Thank you for the well thought out reply. I understand what you are trying to say. The finances and time to pursue love can’t just be snatched out of the ether. Do not lose hope and become bitter. The only advice I have left is that if you have trouble being the instigator then the kink community may introduce you to someone more forward.