2021, week 8: Group Date Ideas

Hi, friends :)

Well, this week is not what I expected. You may have seen that there were 2 blogs already posted TODAY. I could have waited to post those, but I want this blog to be relevant and if that means posting bonus blogs I'm all for it!

Well, this is the original blog I had planned for this week. :)

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Now, I know we're still in the midst of a pandemic, so group gatherings are discouraged and it's also hard to meet new people to ask on dates. (If you'd like to see another blog about how to meet people during a pandemic, let me know!)

For this blog post I want to present just 3 group date ideas; one will be a virtual date, one will be a socially-distanced date, and the final will be not socially-distanced.

The virtual group date

If you want to plan a virtual group date, kudos to you! This likely will not be an easy task. As much as I love technology I think we all have experiences where technology has failed us.

I'm not sure what my demographic is for blog readers, but I bet a lot of you are in your 20's and 30's, so you're probably tech savvy and know how to use apps. So, I suggest a virtual game night!

Sure, you could try to coordinate a Zoom meeting and have each couple/person have a physical game. However, that would be difficult to coordinate and chaos would likely ensue. Instead, set a day and time for the date. Then, decide on a game to play via an app. 

Here are some that I've played:

- Words With Friends

- Among Us

And here are some other game apps I found:

- Psych! Outwit With Your Friends

- Draw Something Classic

The keys to making this group date successful is two-fold: (1) don't have too many people [4 couples at most] and (2) don't pick a game that would make someone uncomfortable. However, remember that you might not be able to find something that everyone has previously played or is necessarily interested in. Start with one game and if most people hate it, then move on to something else.

The socially-distanced group date

Fresh air and food are essential to human life, and to happiness. So, for the socially-distanced group date let's have a picnic in the park. 

Bring blankets or hammocks and enjoy time together, while also providing physical nourishment and soaking in vitamin D!

The NOT socially-distanced group date

Now, I would love to say bake or cook something together. If you live together or are in a quarantine circle together (you don't live together, but you already interact regularly with each other but no one else) then maybe making food together (especially a new recipe) would be a fun idea!

However, for this NOT socially-distanced group date I'm going to go with the cop-out idea of go hiking and/or play sports. There are a few sports that don't require contact, but some do. Obviously hiking doesn't generally involve prolonged contact, but it could.

Parting thoughts

The past year has caused all of us to re-evaluate our lives, and especially our relationships. I have cocooned myself for the past year or so, but I don't want to put my life on hold just because of a pandemic (although it's a very good reason to). So, I want to reach out to friends and family more often and spend time with them. I'll be applying the above ideas to my own life in the coming months :) and I'd love to hear your experiences with dating, family time, and how you're connecting with other people!

The bottom line of this blog post: get outdoors and enjoy each other's company!

Love,

D. J. Lathrop