Question:
What happens when you put about thirty over-forty somethings into a small, stuffy, dimly lit room in downtown Carmel, couple them up (male and female), and give them sixty seconds each to answer a question?

Answer:
Lots of excitement, noise, laughter (and one guy passing out on the concrete floor), sirens, paramedics, and half of the group continuing on to a lively dinner at Jack London’s.

First, and most importantly (and seriously), the man who fainted is doing fine and it was determined that it was a combination of a lack of food, water, and oxygen (and had nothing to do with the hot gal he was talking to at the time). Yep, we know how to knock ‘em out in downtown Carmel!

All kidding aside, this was an evening to remember. Of course, there were lots of suggestions, comments, and requests after the fact…we needed nametags and chairs…the room was too hot…the allergy-sensitive folks didn’t enjoy the incense (which was burning to cover an unidentifiable odor of a room that had been closed up for too long and trust me, we needed that incense!)…and some people wanted unstructured time to chat with those with whom they felt a connection (what about the half hour when we were all milling around waiting for the paramedics to help our new-downed friend?)

But here is what I think (and you all know how brutally honest I can be). One of the questions given to our group was about chemistry. How does it feel? We are all adults and I don’t know about you, but if I felt a hot connection with a guy and had a limited time to find out who he was, you can bet that I would suddenly transform myself into Nancy Drew, or better yet, take a deep breath and approach him.

Life is short, people. Strike while the iron (or the room) is hot. Dance when you KNOW someone is watching. Ask that guy or girl for their number. And be thankful that there are times and places that magically appear in our lives when we are invited to act on our own behalf and flirt like there’s no tomorrow.