In the summer of 2024, I was 29; living in Tel Aviv, Israel; single; and wondering if that last part would always be true.

I was tired of the dating apps, which I would download, then delete in frustration, just to do it all over again every few months. I was tired, too, of the setups, and the wasted evenings, or the promising evenings followed by a loss in interest, the debrief with friends after yet another unsatisfying date. Mostly, I was tired of feeling uncertain about the future.