This week I’m off on an adventure, doing something I have never done before. Cowboy Bob and I taking a river trip, down the Missouri River, from Ft. Benton to Ft. Peck, the Missouri Breaks, they are called. I have been on plenty of boats, but always big ones, with dining areas, entertainment, bars, and a couple thousand people. This one will be just for three of us, Cowboy Bob, his long-time friend Curtis, and me. One table, a single box of wine, a deck of cards, and no Internet. Yikes! I’ll probably go through withdrawal.
This trip is to celebrate all the recent excitement in my life…Cowboy Bob, of course. Completing my bathroom remodel, which I nicknamed my alligator hole, was unexpected, a royal pain, and pricey. Ugh, but it’s fixed. And finally, the completion of Cowboy Bob’s and my latest book, Widows and Widowers Dancing with a New Partner. It is a how-to book on internet dating, with our personal story, and lots of dos and don’ts. It is specifically for people over sixty…especially those of us who have lost our beloved spouses and want to move forward.
The first sentence of our book…“Oh, my gosh…I’m seventy-six years old and twelve months a widow and now somebody I don’t know has asked me for a date, an online date, but I don’t even know what that is” sets the tone, a bit of humor, a bit of common sense, and a lot of information about why people should or should not use online dating. We reveal what steps and missteps we had as we jumped online and dispel Oprah and Dr. Phil’s advice about online dating for seniors. Many people our age fear online dating, and I did, too, but I learned it is what you make of it. I met a couple of scoundrels, but I also met some very nice people, and was fortunate enough to meet a cowboy named Bob who likes to travel, likes to dance, and can write funny blogs. The first question Cowboy Bob asked me was if I could swim, and I’ve always wondered why! Fingers crossed that I don’t find out!
The bottom line is, I’m going to be internet absent for a couple weeks…never fear…go to my website gailcushman.com and reread some of the fun we have had during the past two years. I’ll be back!
