4 APRIL3, 2022
Date LabWITH TANYA BALLARD BROWN
W
hen you’re young and envisioning what kind of life you
might create for yourself, for many people marriage and
children are the endgame. That wasn’t what Tatjana
Meerman, 62, dreamed of in her 20s. She didn’t think she needed
to be married to live with or be committed to someone. “When I
was a much younger person, I was a little more radical in that I did
not believe in marriage,” she told me.
Tatjana never married or had children, but she has had several
long-term relationships over the years, and is single now. She
dabbled with online dating — not the apps, just websites — and
has mostly found it frustrating. “I think there is a lot of lying,” she
said.
These days, Tatjana feels ready to settle down. Maybe even get
married. “I think I’m not as radical as I was, so I do appreciate the
concept of marriage and I respect that, and definitely think I
would just like to have that security,” she explained. That’s why
she was willing to give Date Lab a try at matching her, preferably
with someone kind. “We’ve got too much cruelty in the world,” she
noted.
Jim Wilson had a long marriage — 29 years — that ended
several years ago. “We had two sons, but after the boys were
launched and went to college, we were different ... and we chose
amicably to go our own ways,” the 62-year-old said. Divorce
obviously wasn’t what Jim had planned for his life all those years
ago as a young man looking toward the future, and dating again
after such a long relationship was an adjustment, though not
necessarily a bad one. “People in their late 50s, early 60s ... it’s a
time of great freedom,” he said.
Jim, who works for a federal agency, had a couple of post-
divorce relationships that fizzled out and is ready to meet his
forever person. Maybe even get remarried. “I’ve developed a sense
of who I am, and am more focused. I am looking forward to
settling down,” he explained.
On the evening of their date, Tatjana was happy to get out of
pandemic clothes — you know, pajamas and soft pants and such.
“I put on clothes I had not worn in a long time, I put on shoes I
hadn’t worn in a year, and I put on a little bit of makeup,” she said.
She drove to Kafe Leopold in Georgetown. “I knew it was an
auspicious beginning because I was able to park right in front on
M Street. I mean, that’s crazy!”
Jim put his pandemic pants aside, too, and once dressed,
walked to the restaurant with hopes of meeting someone
interesting and compelling who loved learning. He got there first
and ordered a Diet Coke. When Tatjana met him, he shook her
hand — which she found encouraging. Jim said he was pleased to
see she was a lovely woman about his age with a nice smile.He got a ‘gold star’
for thoughtfulness
Jim Wilson
is 62 and works in
data services for a
federal agency. He is
looking for a
“thoughtful, fit
woman who seeks to
make the world a
better place.”Tatjana
Meerman
is 62 and a writer
and editor for a
federal agency. She
is seeking someone
who is “strong, quiet,
mysterious and very
handy around the
house.”PHOTO: DANIELE SEISSSign up for Date
Lab at washington
post.com/datelab.