Have you ever noticed how many people list their relationship status as in an "open relationship" but then seem excessively nervous about meeting in person.

Chances are some of them are not sharing the openness with their partner, some may just be really nervous to meet the first time and I expect some are worried about the rumour mill in their town if they were spotted having coffee or drinks with their new/potential beau.

That's why I came up with the rather simple, "Chance Encounter" concept for first meet and greets. Lets face it, you don't all want to hand out your address, invite the guy(or gal) in and have the neighbours see him(her) without getting a decent look first and maybe having a reason for the meeting.

So when I was having trouble figuring out a way to meet one such gal who was pretty recognizable and worried about being seen in the "wrong context" as a first date we devised a really simple plan, we planned a "chance encounter".

As it turns out we are both Runners, we simply agreed on a spot and time to take our water break, then came to the location from opposite directions. We had time to get a good look at each other and have a short conversation while we filled up our water bottles then we went our separate ways and reconnected online later.

This sort of chance encounter doesn't look like anything else because it's short and sweet but allows you to get past that first meeting without any real awkwardness. You leave knowing if the person was representing themselves accurately and with at least some feel for their personality.

It's really easy to set up and with no set expectations, nothing to lose.

Happy Hunting Everyone