Glenn was the first male participant in our eharmony Experiment. Last month, he reported that he had gone on a few dates with a girl, and he was excited about his experience thus far.
We checked back in with him to see how things were going in his second month. (Hint: This is his final interview, instead of the traditional 3 months of the experiment.) Here’s what Glenn had to say:
So when we last heard from you, you’d had a couple of dates with the same girl. How are things going? Are you still seeing her?
Glenn: Since then, we’ve gone official and public in a relationship with each other. I haven’t done anything more with my eharmony profile since the last interview other than canceling it. We’ve had had nothing but support from our inner circles and some loving, well-meant skepticism that has turned into happily-given support.
Are you going to continue online dating?
Glenn: No. I could leave it at that for obvious reasons, but I can’t write out answers and leave this one at only one word. I stopped online dating because I didn’t need it anymore. It worked, and went very smoothly, and I would recommend it in the right circumstances.
What was the most surprising part of online dating for you?
Glenn: That it worked so quickly for me. My girlfriend was in the first group of matches I was given. We talked for many emails and over a month before going on an actual date. But, seeing as most reading I had done about eharmony before said that it can take a while and be patient, I definitely wasn’t expecting that a relationship could begin to tangibly develop so early. A close, close second was finding someone who shared my somewhat uncommon/conservative dating philosophy, including its intention to test for a future marriage.
What did you learn about yourself in the online dating process?
Glenn: I learned how all of the misses and failures in the romantic area of my life shaped and taught me to be where I am today. Without those experiences, I wouldn’t be ready to lead and care for a person in a serious dating relationship. I can look back at those attempts with full gratitude now.
Are there any reasons you think your online dating experience is exceptional or atypical?
Glenn: I think it’s atypical because of what I mentioned earlier: Most reviews I’ve seen spent months on an online dating site before finding a match or moving on. Considering my now girlfriend was the first name in my first match e-mail I think it’s atypical. Other than that, I think I had a normal experience as a Christian using an online dating site.
What one word would you use to sum up your online dating experience?
Glenn: Thankful. The process of getting outside of my comfort zone and having a pursuit of a woman actually succeed has taught me about myself, yes, but has also taught me a lot about the Lord. It’s sparked some growth (independent of my relationship) in some areas that had been stagnant recently. Regardless of where this relationship heads in the future, I am and will always be thankful for it and for SingleRoots for helping me try something new that I may never have otherwise done.
