I’m 35, Gay and Terrified I’ll Be Single Forever
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@Sam:
I’m 35, Gay and Terrified I’ll Be Single Forever
As a gay man, the older I get, the more afraid I am nobody will want me.Honestly, I can’t believe I’m sharing this with you – let alone typing it on my desktop. There’s no easy way to do this I guess but just blurt it out.
I’m a 35-year old gay man who is terrified of being single forever.
That may seem like a silly thing to say. But reading it on my desktop now makes it even more real. Honest to God, with each passing day, it feels like my worst fears are coming true.
I guess what sparked my anxiety is a recent comment a friend from yester-year made to me when we ran into each other at a bar.
“I can’t believe you’re still single!”
Has anyone ever told you that? Did it make you feel like crap? I’m sure there was no malice intended behind those words but they cut like a knife just the same. My mind translates it into: Why haven’t you got your s*hit together yet?
The older I get, the more alone I feel. Whenever I look around, another one of my friends is getting married. And if they aren’t getting hitched, they are at least involved with someone.
Some are gay and some are straight but all of them have somebody.
All of them – except for me.
Can I be honest with you? What really scares the crap out of me is that I’m not getting any younger. When I was in my 20’s, I could attract guys like a magnet. Now-a-days, when a guy looks my way, it’s a rarity.
Back then, I used to believe it when people would say, “Don’t rush into anything – one day the right guy will come along.”
I keep wondering when “someday” will arrive.
Please don’t think I’m whining. I love my life. I have a strong set of friends, a great dog and a wonderful family. And it’s not like I don’t put myself out there. I totally do!
I’m on OK Cupid, Match, Hornet and even a few of the hook up apps for good measure. I go to gay related charity events and am no stranger to the bars.
But it just seems like each time I start seeing a guy, it goes nowhere. Oh sure, we might go out on a few dates and have some laughs. But after a while, things fizzle out.
A lot of the guys I meet are just flakes – looking for “someone better” I guess. It sucks because I’m one of those gays who truly wants to be in a relationship and build something special, like a family, you know?
I don’t think I’m ugly either. I may not turn everyone’s head when I walk into a room but I’m not hideous. Just an average looking gay man who tries to take care of himself.
Is it just me or does it seem like once you get into your middle 30’s, the pressure to couple up starts mounting. Kind of like a ticking alarm clock that you know will eventually go off and scream: Times up!
I’ve had boyfriends in the past. Some relationships went on longer than others. Does 2-years count as “long term?” Because that’s my high point.
I guess my biggest fear now is that nobody is going to want to date an aging gay who has little history of “being” with someone.
You want honesty right. I’m giving it to you.
And it’s not like I’m horrible in bed or anything. The guys I’ve been with certainly haven’t complained. Without being graphic, I’m pretty versatile. I recognize that sex is an important part of most relationships.
But having sex and making love are two different things. I so badly want someone to top me like that give a s*hit, not like I’m some cheap piece of trade.
I’m tired of hooking up with men who are sexual robots; men who wouldn’t know real passion if it hit them on the head. I want a man who wants love. A man who can be vulnerable. Someone who wants to love back.
Maybe it’s me. Perhaps my expectations are just messed up. All I require is authenticity and a desire to let someone in. That’s what I try to do when I’ve met other men.
But it’s not turning out that way.
All I keep finding are guys who are looking for “the one”. They have it in their mind that it’s got to be a “match” on the first date – period.
Doesn’t it take more than just one cup of coffee or one meal to get to know somebody?
In a few weeks it will be my 36th birthday. In gaydom, that doesn’t make me “ancient” but I am creeping towards “older”. What’s sick about it is that in the straight world, 36 is considered young.
WTF am I going to do if I’m still single at 40? Will other gay men think I’m toxic because I’m still “available”? Deep inside, I kind bet that’s exactly what they’ll think.
I’m not giving up. Hopefully, I’ll meet someone soon. But the clock is ticking.
Have you ever felt like that?
What did you do?
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Well…this is what I would answer him. He definitively needs a slap back into reality, not a shoulder to cry on.
Dear 'Sam in Florida':
I'm 31, Gay and I honestly don't care if I'm single forever or if I find Mr. Right.
Why? Because I've realized love comes unannounced, like many big things in life, but in order to be ready for it, you must love yourself first.
My friends and acquantainces are getting married, pooping out babies and showing them up in fucking Facebook...do I care? No.
They're them....I am me...
And after reading your pathetic letter...I despise you...so much that If I could meet you I would seduce you and then break your worthless heart into tiny-bitty pieces and enjoy every damn second of it.
You clearly don't love yourself....you have people who love you and yet you don't love yourself.
If you think that you won't be attracting anyone because you're older I say to you...compensate the aging with character and become interesting...be like a good wine: age makes you better.
Don't beg for the love of some vain 20 something...interesting, older men have 20 year olds running around them...as their bitchboy fucktoys, not the other way around!
And if you want love...then you don't hook up! Love needs to be NURTURED. And in order to nurture love with others you need to love yourself first.
Don't you think that phrase from your acquaintance was a compliment?! Maybe he/she liked you! But your self respect is so crushed you had to think the worst possible meaning to it.
Grow a fucking pair....because you were totally whining.
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Well…this is what I would answer him. He definitively needs a slap back into reality, not a shoulder to cry on.
Dear 'Sam in Florida':
I'm 31, Gay and I honestly don't care if I'm single forever or if I find Mr. Right.
Why? Because I've realized love comes unannounced, like many big things in life, but in order to be ready for it, you must love yourself first.
My friends and acquantainces are getting married, pooping out babies and showing them up in fucking Facebook...do I care? No.
They're them....I am me...
And after reading your pathetic letter...I despise you...so much that If I could meet you I would seduce you and then break your worthless heart into tiny-bitty pieces and enjoy every damn second of it.
You clearly don't love yourself....you have people who love you and yet you don't love yourself.
If you think that you won't be attracting anyone because you're older I say to you...compensate the aging with character and become interesting...be like a good wine: age makes you better.
Don't beg for the love of some vain 20 something...interesting, older men have 20 year olds running around them...as their bitchboy fucktoys, not the other way around!
And if you want love...then you don't hook up! Love needs to be NURTURED. And in order to nurture love with others you need to love yourself first.
Don't you think that phrase from your acquaintance was a compliment?! Maybe he/she liked you! But your self respect is so crushed you had to think the worst possible meaning to it.
Grow a fucking pair....because you were totally whining.
TOO TOO HARSH MAN , God dammit he was sharing his fears and needed advice not an attack :blink:
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On first reading, it may seem like Eridanos was being harsh. But if you take a second read, and really look at what he was saying- I think all the advice is there. It may be said in a harsh way, but sometimes when a person is wallowing in self pity- he needs a hard kick just to get him back on the right track.
Some might not respond too well to that kind of tough love, but really 35? That is not really old. And definitely not the age where you are panicking about whether you will be alone forever or not. What happens when you hit 40 and are alone? Or 50? Will you just feel your life is worthless because you don't have any significant other? You have friends, you have family you have your dog. There's a lot life has given you- focus on that first and not on what you lack.
My last bit- keep trying to find someone- but realize that life is what you make of it. You can be happy and single. Enjoy yourself, make yourself interesting, and you just may find the right person.
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I felt like “Sam” a few times in the past. Most gay guys that I once met told me that I have a perfect body but bad personality. That made me think that maybe I was the problem and I just needed to “chill out” (something that all of them told me too, what an irony).
Now I don't give a shit and I'm firmly determined to stay the same until death comes for me. Why? Because I won't change in order to attract somebody. If any guy wants to be with me he would need to take me inside out, with all my bad mood included.
And If I stay single forever, at least I could say that my dignity and authenticity was intact until the very last breath…
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…Wow... same age, and sounds like just me. Except the fact that I've never had a boyfriend, and I'm not terrified that I think I will be alone for the rest of my life, I know I will, and it sucks ass.
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TOO TOO HARSH MAN , God dammit he was sharing his fears and needed advice not an attack :blink:
Yes it was harsh…but sometimes people need harshness instead of sympathy or pity. Problem is, 'Sam' is putting himself in a very delicate situation. There are people that, once they realize you have no self-love, no self-respect...will trap you and seduce you and make you love them hard and fast and then...they will take advantage from you. In Sam's case, he sounds so sad and desperate that he seems capable of great folly for just some morsels of love that might not even be real.
He needs to stop pitying himself, because that's what he transmits to others, and believe me...there's a very fine line between pity and contempt.
HE also seems to have absorbed many issues: ageism, lack of confidence, the mistaken idea that you need to be in a relationship and if you are single by a certain age, then you're a hopeless spinster. That is all bullcrap, both homo and heteronormative nonsense we need to get rid off in order to fully mature and enjoy ourselves as individuals.
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HE also seems to have absorbed many issues: ageism, lack of confidence, the mistaken idea that you need to be in a relationship and if you are single by a certain age, then you're a hopeless spinster. That is all bullcrap, both homo and heteronormative nonsense we need to get rid off in order to fully mature and enjoy ourselves as individuals.
This i know what you mean , But no need in attacking a person now .
ALTHOUGH … I do agree with you on the ageism part , i Think it's ridiculous that he thinks he is old at 35 when that is just so young ... still that is a person who is pouring his heart out to the world , no need To be mean to him , Its not like he is Being Rude or anything .. -
Yes it was harsh…but sometimes people need harshness instead of sympathy or pity. Problem is, 'Sam' is putting himself in a very delicate situation. There are people that, once they realize you have no self-love, no self-respect...will trap you and seduce you and make you love them hard and fast and then...they will take advantage from you. In Sam's case, he sounds so sad and desperate that he seems capable of great folly for just some morsels of love that might not even be real.
He needs to stop pitying himself, because that's what he transmits to others, and believe me...there's a very fine line between pity and contempt.
HE also seems to have absorbed many issues: ageism, lack of confidence, the mistaken idea that you need to be in a relationship and if you are single by a certain age, then you're a hopeless spinster. That is all bullcrap, both homo and heteronormative nonsense we need to get rid off in order to fully mature and enjoy ourselves as individuals.
I couldn't agree more with what you've said here! Ageism is insidious. It's a struggle to come to terms with the fact that we will all get older. And the sooner we accept and make peace with that, the better we'll be.
Also- the sooner we make getting into a relationship less of a race and more of an adventure, the better for us. I know some people who cling desperately to a relationship where they are miserable as hell, JUST to avoid becoming single again.
And alma- I get where you're coming from. You strike me as a nice, kind person. And a couple years back I would've been with you- I couldn't say anything harsh even if it's what was needed. The intent wasn't to be mean, it was to help. Harshness can often work to push people to act where kindness and coddling will not. Hopefully that's the effect here.
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Try being 54 (that's a grandpa in the gay lifestyle) and newly single. I would give my left nut to be 35 or soon to be 36.
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Yes it was harsh…but sometimes people need harshness instead of sympathy or pity. Problem is, 'Sam' is putting himself in a very delicate situation. There are people that, once they realize you have no self-love, no self-respect...will trap you and seduce you and make you love them hard and fast and then...they will take advantage from you. In Sam's case, he sounds so sad and desperate that he seems capable of great folly for just some morsels of love that might not even be real.
He needs to stop pitying himself, because that's what he transmits to others, and believe me...there's a very fine line between pity and contempt.
HE also seems to have absorbed many issues: ageism, lack of confidence, the mistaken idea that you need to be in a relationship and if you are single by a certain age, then you're a hopeless spinster. That is all bullcrap, both homo and heteronormative nonsense we need to get rid off in order to fully mature and enjoy ourselves as individuals.
I couldn't agree more with what you've said here! Ageism is insidious. It's a struggle to come to terms with the fact that we will all get older. And the sooner we accept and make peace with that, the better we'll be.
Also- the sooner we make getting into a relationship less of a race and more of an adventure, the better for us. I know some people who cling desperately to a relationship where they are miserable as hell, JUST to avoid becoming single again.
And alma- I get where you're coming from. You strike me as a nice, kind person. And a couple years back I would've been with you- I couldn't say anything harsh even if it's what was needed. The intent wasn't to be mean, it was to help. Harshness can often work to push people to act where kindness and coddling will not. Hopefully that's the effect here.
Hmm .. idk , I know he asked for some judgment since he is the one who posted on the net , But still i don't think we need to be harsh to motivate him , Since that will lead to anger and anger leads to BAD BAD decision .
So i don't know …he is not a user on this site right ??
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As far as I know he is not a user on this site..
::)
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So first of all I want to adress to all the ppl who answered to this topic: GUys…..some of you are partially right...some of you are totally wrong(almost jerks actually). Its clearly that some of you dont know psichology: There is always the NEUTRAL tone...you dont have to get attached..to cry with him but to explain how life works and also by giving good examples. The guy its a weak type ( this is obvious) with lots of complexions and if you go and tell him that you can seduce him, than break his heart into million pieces and laugh about this will be like smashing him with a hammer. He
ll get even more depressed, cry, burry himself even more in this hole he is already in thinking that maybe this will really happen!!!. Help him build up his confidence , dont break it down. Not everyone has a big and strong self-confidence, some will never have it and remember HARSH IS FOR TOUGH.When a tough goes down you help him with harsh, strong advices so that he will have the power to understand them. And above all he must have the reason to be happy, a reason to love himself. We all have reasons (most of us) familly, friends, lovers.Well maybe some ppl are not finding those reasons anymore, they have lost them. Help them find it!! Dont say to a weak "Youre weak!" cause they`ll become weaker!!!!
So in conclusion dont post stupid things that can demoralize ppl rather then motivate them to be a better person, to descover who they really are. ( Not everyone is as though as you are guys >> ) -
I was forty two before I met the love of my life, and now I don't regret the wait. We've been together 8 years; I knew he was the one for me the moment I met him, and one of the first things I said to him was, "Oh my god, you're the one."
Don't chase love, but don't close the door to it either. It will come for you when you least expect it. I hope there are great things in store for you. -
Don't chase love, but don't close the door to it either.
I like that quote. In fact it remind me the lyrics of one of my favorite songs. It's called “Love Will Come Again” and it is sung by Beth Hirsch (who also wrote it).
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I have a friend who is always playing the "woe is me, I am single, nobody loves me/thinks about me" tune. He's in his 40s, average looking, but a very nice guy. Every major holiday (or every month or so), he hosts a pity party on Facebook about how he's not invited to parties or doesn't have someone to cuddle on a snowy night. At first it was kind of endearing (barely), but I refuse to coddle him and further promote him being a victim to single status. A mutual friend and I text each other when we see yet another sad FB status update and groan about his unchanging behaviors.
While I can empathize with others feeling hopeless about finding love in today's gay society (which is completely fucked up in many regards for various and obvious reasons), I have no sympathy for those who lament and don't take control over their love life and do something about it. There is someone out there who is going to like a high percentage of what you offer to the table. But you can't rely on Grindr, Scruff, or any social app to do the work for you. At some point one must take ownership over the journey and to not let things fall to chance or in someone else's control.
The cards are stacked against a majority of people dating today. I don't consider myself to be in a category of people most sought after by a majority of men in my city. I'm in my early-mid 30s, and have had 2 serious (short-lived) relationships. Been single for over 3 years now and content with it. Sure, it is nice to have a BF (or at least someone who will plow me consistently), but it's not in the cards for me right now and I don't really have the energy to go through the mental gymnastics to find a boyfriend who isn't an idiot or glued to scrolling on social media apps for immediate attention. I need to overcome a lot of personal hurdles in order for me to even consider being someone's other half. But until then, I won't worry about feeling sorry about myself for being single.
Maybe I will die alone. Maybe I won't. But I'm old enough now to not let it consume my ability to live a life worth living. I am enough until I meet someone who makes me believe wholeheartedly otherwise. [and hopefully before I become too cynical and rebuke love when it smacks me in the face (or his dick)]
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I have a fried just like you. She calls me up all the time complaining that she'll forever be alone and never find a man to love her. So I'm going to give you the same advice I give to her. "Bitch shut your dumbass mouth and open your fucking eyes".
I know it's harsh, but the simple fact is you have a lot of love in your life right now and if you just bitch about what you don't have what you do have will slip away. I'm 32 and single, but hey love could come into my life tomorrow in 5 years or whenever all because I'm open to it. You have family and friends that love you and if you think all that is meaningless just because you don't have a life partner then your entire life will forever be meaningless. No I don't mean you'll never have a boyfriend that still may happen, but no matter how great your relationship you will always look for something better. You could have BF by this time next week but you'll be jealous that he's not as rich as your friends BF or you'll wish they were better looking, or you'll think that he doesn't love you enough because he didn't take you to Hawaii for your birthday. The simple fact is if you want to be happy in your life you have to learn to be happy with your life. Don't sit there and quibble all the things you don't have but just enjoy the things you do. And guess what when you can master that you'll likely attract a special someone into your life. Nobody wants to date a sad sack who's always looking around the corner for something better. You learn to love the life you have and it will show you all the love you need.
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Nobody wants to date a sad sack who's always looking around the corner for something better.
I don't get this part… Are you saying that we just need to be in denial, singing “don't worry be happy” all the time while we punish ourselves whenever we feel the ambition of wanting more in life? Bc that would be just being conformist and I wouldn't advice that to nobody.
If you meant something different, please explain it further so I could understand. The way you wrote it seems confusing.
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The way I understood it is that he meant not being the kind of person who will be in a relationship while keeping an eye out for the next better prospect and jumping ship the minute someone hotter or better comes along.
Wanting more and better is good for some things, but if you apply that to a relationship then it might wind up that you'll never be happy and have a long term connection with one person.
If I'm wrong, QCDelights can just clarify.
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The way I understood it is that he meant not being the kind of person who will be in a relationship while keeping an eye out for the next better prospect and jumping ship the minute someone hotter or better comes along.
Wanting more and better is good for some things, but if you apply that to a relationship then it might wind up that you'll never be happy and have a long term connection with one person.
If I'm wrong, QCDelights can just clarify.
Well, it sounds better the way you put it. Hope that he meant that, then.
