How to Tactfully Salvage a Blind Date and Enjoy Yourself

Do you cringe when you hear the words 'blind date'? Do you fear your friends calling yet another time wanting to fix you up? Friends usually have the best of intentions. Everything they describe about your blind date may seem to fit you perfectly. You may even be excited for the night and dress your very best. You always believed your friend knew you well...until!

First Impressions and Disappointment

First impressions are important. They give a clue to whether the person is your type. You've met your blind date at a restaurant and your immediate reaction tells you to run. You wonder how they shrunk a foot in height, grew three feet wider and changed their hair color since your friend described them. Let's not forget that snorting sound that comes out with every laugh. What can you do?

Have Empathy and Have Fun

Remember - blind dates are people, too. They have feelings and desires the same as you. Not everyone will fulfill your requirements, but you can have a night of light-hearted fun. You won't feel the need to impress. You can be yourself and in the process you may find this person offers a night of amusement that you haven't had in ages. Too much emphasis is placed on expectations when dating. What's wrong with simply socializing with people of varying types? It's a date, not a marriage proposal!

Don't Be Rude

Don't have friends call your cell phone or pager to get you out of the date. Your date may not be your type, but they probably have enough intelligence to catch on to your cheesy tactics to leave the scene. It's only a couple of hours and surely you have enough tolerance to get through without making yourself look like a jerk.

Don't be rude! That's a reflection of you, not your date. It's not impressive to act as if you are so above your date that you can't spend a couple hours with them in a casual setting. I'm sure you have friends that aren't favorable in the looks area or have some irritating habits, yet you treat them nice. Do the same with your blind date. Treat them as you want to be treated.

I once introduced someone to a friend of mine. He took one look at her and literally wouldn't speak beyond "hello". I was embarrassed. She clearly knew he wasn't interested. She was attractive, but heavy set and instead of him treating her like she was human, he was obvious about his disinterest. This backfired because I no longer introduce him to anyone and he's been single for years! He turned the night into a disaster because his expectations were too high. He couldn't simply enjoy spending time with a new person unless they were his ideal image!

Use Humor

Think: HUMOR! Humor goes a long way in going from a deal breaker to an evening of actual enjoyment. How many times do we go out with the hottie and feel so pressured to impress that we don't genuinely enjoy ourselves? Your blind date is the perfect person for you to feel laid back with and tap into your patience and value someone who you perceive to be "outside" of your box. While this person may not be your Mr. or Mrs. Right, they may become a good and caring friend. At the very least, you've had a new experience and something interesting to write in your journal about.

Safety First

If your date is obnoxious, rude or causes you to feel endangered, by all means feel free to leave. Otherwise, be respectful that this person took time to meet you. Be honest and don't give false hope that a relationship will transpire, but be tactful.

Blind dates have received a bad reputation, but only because we expect so much from them. While we all have deal breakers, we should give the person a chance for a simple and casual shared experience. Treat people as you want to be treated and one day a blind date may be your perfect match!