A Simpler Time

I recall my time in high school with fondness. Things weren’t necessarily better for me back then, but they were much easier. One of the greatest things about life back then was that I didn’t have to worry about rent or bills. And it seemed like dating was much simpler, while being infinitely more complicated at the same time. Almost every other month (sometimes every month) the school would put on a dance for the students. Some of the dances were formal and gave us a chance to dress up in our finery, while some were casual and more relaxed. Both types of dances were great fun for those that went.

Now, to explain my contradiction: Dating was simpler back then due to the simple fact that people didn’t seem to say “no” to a date proposal as often as they do now. Saying no to someone who had asked you on a date was usually thought of as rude. I think the only time it was ok to say no to somebody was if you were already going on a date on the night in question. I think the reason that saying no was such a faux pas is that people spent so much time thinking up creative ways to ask others on dates.

This leads me into the complications of high school dating. A simple phone call would never suffice. You’d have to come up with some original, creative idea to ask a girl/guy out. I can clearly recall coming home one night to find that my room had been cleared out with a note left on what was left of my bed stating that I had to follow various clues to find all of my things again. The clues eventually led me to a note that asked me to a dance. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time finding my stuff, and the fact that I was asked to the dance made my day, but couldn’t she have just showed up at my house, chatted for a bit, and then asked me to the dance? I guess that I honestly miss having the opportunity to think up creative ways to ask a girl on a date. Once you’re out of high school it’s kind of strange to ask someone on a date that way. Your date might think you’re a little off in the head, and that could lead to an interesting date.

Now, being single and LDS, I attend a single’s ward every week. Yes, we do have activities planned occasionally, but never anything like a high school dance. If you’ve ever seen the LDS comedy ‘The Single’s Ward’ you probably noticed that they seem to have dances at the ward quite frequently, and that many of them require you to ask someone to go with you. Now, I’ve been in my single’s ward for close to 3 years, and I don’t think we’ve ever planned an activity that required you to bring a date. All of them seem to promote “hanging out” over “dating”. Didn’t a general authority give several talks to the young single adults saying that hanging out is bad? I think that it’s high time that single’s wards start planning something that requires us to pair off with people for the night. There really isn’t a better way to get to know somebody than when you spend an evening with them and focus on only them. Plus, this would give all of us in the ward the chance to go back to our high school ways and think up creative ways to ask someone to the activity. It would be really fun, I think.