Why I'm signing up for online dating

My family friend Bea called my mom last fall to chat. After about 10 minutes, she made a confession.

She was setting me up. With her ear, nose, and throat doctor. In her words, he was a darling, sweet man with three kids who just got divorced, and I was the nicest young lady she knew and she just knew that we'd have a lot to talk about.

Did I mention that this ENT specialist lives four hours away from me? And that Bea is 86 years old?

The doctor sounds swell, but he evidently demurred Bea's set up, noting that his divorce isn't even final yet. Ok. But Bea is the real concern here.

I want to be Bea when I grow up.

Bea is very tall and statuesque, and I've never seen her without red lipstick. And she's usually wearing something metallic. Bea is fabulous.

She had a hard time when her husband died about 10 years ago, but she seems to have bounced back well. She's very active, and she goes to Arizona every winter.

Bea called my mom again this week. "I just had to let you know," she said. "I've - I've met someone!"

Because Bea knows no strangers, she was of course invited to a barbecue at the home of her neighbors in Arizona. The barbecue was in honor of their uncle, who was visiting for the week. Bea and Uncle Ken hit it off. They spent time together that week, and then he flew home to Texas.

Ken called Bea when he got home. "I'm standing in the doorway of my house, and my suitcase is still at my feet. I'm just missing you so much - do you think it's weird that I just bought a ticket to fly back to Arizona? Do you feel this way, too?"

He went back to Arizona. They continued keeping time.

One of Bea's friends back home had this dude checked out by a private investigator, because everybody loves Bea and wants to look out for her. Ken was legit.

Bea called my mom this week because Ken was coming this weekend to ask her family's permission to marry their mother.

"I'm giddy," she said. "I'm just over the moon! I know it's crazy, but we don't have a lot of time, and I don't want to waste any of it."

And that is the story of my fabulous friend Bea, who proves that you can feel like a teenager at any age if you're just open to it.

And I know that none of us have a lot of time. And none of us should waste any of it.