I Took the Risk of Dating During the Pandemic. It Paid Off.

As a single person at the start of the pandemic, I didn’t envy my friends living with long-term partners. They reported quickly growing weary of the constant contact. In the trade-off between loneliness and conflict, I was happy with my choice. (Well, technically, it was my ex-boyfriend’s choice, if we’re being precise.) But as time continued to pass, isolation settled in, and I began to crave romantic intrigue.

Initially, I hadn’t planned on making any major life changes during the pandemic. I could keep my life on hold for a few months, I thought. But by May, it didn’t seem like COVID-19 would be under control anytime soon. I began to accept that if I wanted a partner in the near future, I’d have to start dating. I redownloaded Hinge for the first time in five months.

[Read: Singles and couples are more divided than ever]

While the pandemic couldn’t change the quality of the men on the