How to Put Yourself Out There When You're Dating in Your 40s

I'm in Los Angeles for a few weeks, and this week I did something that surprised me a little. I texted a guy first.

That sentence might not sound revolutionary. But if you know me, you know I'm a traditional dater. I want the man to make the plan. I want him to pick the place. I want him to hold the door. So when I reached out to someone I'd met on Instagram a few months ago — someone who lives in LA, someone I'd traded voice notes with before life pulled us in different directions — pressing send was the whole point.