Guest Blogger Maria Grazia Swan

This week I am at Disneyland celebrating Baby T's first birthday. (OMG, can you believe it's been a year already? Time flies when you get no sleep...) So, to fill in for me is the fabulous Maria Grazia Swan. Take it away, Maria...

I’m convinced that the way you like your eggs may say a lot about the people you date

By the time we reach midlife and the much anticipated midlife crisis, most of us have a pretty good idea on how we like our eggs cooked: scrambled, poached, sunny side up. For me is scrambled because, coming from Italy, is either scrambled or hard boiled, and I really mean hard.

We order without even thinking. It’s good that we know what we like and don’t have to pop Prozac to calm our nerves before deciding. It’s bad that we unreflectively make that same choice again and again. With all the new trends, you’ll find almost infinite ways to cook eggs, omelet, huevos rancheros, eggs benedicts, frittatas. But, we tend to stick to our safe, familiar routine.

Sort of like we do with dating.

Before we go out on a date with someone, we ought to learn their likes and dislikes, so that instead of playing the old game; “What do you want to do?” “I dunno, what you want to do?” We should have a plan. A plan? For a date? Believe me, it can pay off.

Most people opt for a movie. That way, if you don’t like your date, at least you don’t have to talk. I say, forget the movie; go to a comedy club You still don’t have to talk and you do get entertained, and most important, you get to see how your date reacts to the jokes told by the stand-up comedians, regardless of how ‘politically correct’ they are-or aren’t-. That’s like 3-D for the soul, and it works both ways, so you may learn from your own reactions.

Afraid too much laughter will put wrinkles on your face? Go to an art show. Most are free, and they even serve refreshments. Here again, little talk, much expression of soul.

Personally I stay away from dinner for a first date. I don’t want to sit in judgment of, or be judged by the choice of restaurant or the price of the food ordered. Meet for happy hour, if the chemistry is there you can stay for dinner, if it’s not, drive home carefully.

Yes, dating has a lot in common with eggs: if you rush the cooking you may get sick, if you cook your eggs too long, they get rubbery and tasteless and please, treat each egg gently, they break easily. And we certainly all like our eggs fresh. Hey, some people even like them raw. If you are allergic to eggs…get egg substitutes. They may not taste the same, but they are good for you. And if you need something to talk about with your date, how about: ”What came first, the egg or the chicken?”


The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.
Gloria Steinem

~ Maria Grazia Swan

Maria Grazia Swan is an author and motivational speaker who shares relationship advice and guidance for women re-entering the social/dating scene. Maria empowers and encourages single women to be bold, fearless, and sexy in their pursuit of life and love after age 45. An award recipient from the Women’s National Book Association, Swan is the author of Boomer Babes: True Tales of Love and Lust in the Later Years (Leisure Books). Visit  http://www.mariagrazia.tv