I was recently asked out on a "walking date" and (while I'm fully aware of FDS strongly advising against this for great, thoroughly explained reasons with plenty of articles presented with supporting evidence) out of (in retrospect pickme-ish) curiosity I googled if walking dates are a good idea. And guess what? The first two pages of results fed right into the remaining pickme embers that FDS hasn't fully killed in me yet lol. These articles RAVED about walking dates, with article titles such as:

  • "I'm Just Going to Say It: Walking Dates Are the Best Way to Get to Know Someone"

  • "7 Walking Date Ideas That'll Get Your Love Life Moving"

  • "Why Walking Dates Are the Perfect First Date"

  • "Dinner Dates Not Working For You Anymore? Try Walking Instead"

....As I delved into a few of these articles, regardless of the tiny part of me looking for some validation for accepting this walking date invitation (we clicked well during phone conversations) I still couldn't help laughing as I read the reasons why walking dates are so great:

  • You don't have to make eye contact with each other! (???? 🤦‍♀️😂 how romantic/informative)

  • It's cheap! You can just bring your own coffee or water bottle if you like! (Oh, brother 🙄)

  • If you're not feeling it, it's easy to end the date! (....is it?? When you're a mile plus deep into this trail/park/downtown area & therefore your car's a mile plus far away? 🤦‍♀️😂)

  • If he's shy, a walking date takes the pressure off him! (If he can't handle the "pressure" of enjoying my company over dinner, I'll pass, thanks)

  • "Studies have shown walking can reduce stress, depression, increase interest in sex and improve self-esteem" (Um is this a date or a therapy session? And I'm specifically trying to AVOID whipping my sex drive into a frenzy 20 minutes after meeting someone)

.....I gradually noticed an overall trend of these "pros" basically only benefitting/making life easier on men, despite almost every article being written by a woman 🤦‍♀️

.......I didn't find a single negative/skeptical take on walking dates until the third page of search results. Even then, it was just Yahoo/Quora/etc questions/answers and guess what all of the highest rated answers were? You guessed it: "walking dates are soooo underrated, that's how I met my boyfriend 8 years ago who's planning on proposing soon 🥰"

..........In conclusion, reviewing the supposed "pros" of walking dates was more than enough to confirm for me that FDS is dead right: don't go on a walking date. (And I'm not even getting into the cons, such as the danger of walking dates, since we're all aware here of these cons)

-----------Bonus confessional: in a moment of weakness, I agreed to go on the dang walking date since it was going to be a short walk in a well-populated area to a cafe, where he planned on buying me lunch. I told myself (despite my dissenting instinct & newfound FDS knowledge) that maybe this doesn't count as a walking date, since it's short & involves a sit-down meal.

...Guess what? Two hours before the planned walking date, he cancelled - not only saying he didn't get enough sleep the night before, but also his child was suddenly sick so he had to stay home with her. Mm-hmm. My bad for talking myself into something my brain & instinct both knew was subpar to my standards.

.....Ultimately I'm relieved he showed his 🤡 so quick; saved me from my lingering pickme impulses, as well as time and whatever nonsense would have followed. Hopefully I've learned my lesson for real this time. Back to the drawing board, and to staying single until I can just say without hesitation NOPE! to any walking dates of any kind.