Beauty & Wellness

In my case, I’m over 50 — so maybe that’s why I can’t remember the movie.

And since my 2005 divorce after 16 years of marriage, I haven’t been struck by lightning either, literally or figuratively. Oh sure, I’ve met and dated a few women I knew as friends, and I was even able to meet new friends through the 21st-century version of the singles bar: online dating. But this isn’t the pool it used to be. The dating waters for single men, particularly those in my age group, have become difficult to navigate. I don’t want to say this was easier in the old days, but this was easier in the old days.

In the 1970s and even the ’80s, I was a part-time nightclub DJ. I could put on a record (boy, that really dates me!), and the dance floor would fill up before 9 p.m. Women would flock to my DJ booth to make requests to hear “Turn the Beat Around,” “Disco Inferno” and “Boogie, Oogie, Oogie!” I wonder now where all those ladies went. Well, I’m sure most of them married. None of them, however, married me.

Getting phone numbers and dates back then was easy. People weren’t nearly as guarded as they are now. I was also younger and could wear things that … well … I couldn’t wear today. My closet was stocked with tight-fitted shirts and bellbottoms. My shirt was unbuttoned four buttons down, and I wore a cross that was easily displayed. I donned platform shoes and a huge leather belt and had hair like Tony Orlando. As luck would have it, I was also an above-average fast dancer (still am!), so I was armed with Friday night skills not possessed by many of my single brethren.

I looked good, had a deep voice, came from a loving family and just like Tony Manero in “Saturday Night Fever,” I’m an Italian to boot! Look out, honey! Here I come. Would you like to dance? Money in the bank.

It’s a little different now. And it’s not just that all my buttons are buttoned, or that my shoes are flat. The playing field has changed dramatically. I’m 56 now, so it’s a little awkward approaching the same age women I did in 1977. Those women, if they aren’t married or involved with someone, are now in their 50s as well. But five years after divorce, I’m discovering something I didn’t expect. While I seemed to have plenty in common with these women three decades ago, I don’t anymore.