If Someone Says "You Complete Me," RUN! by Whoopi Goldberg Page A

wasgoing to have to develop myself and use my intelligence to get whatever I wanted because the face wasn’t going to do it.
    So my brain is pretty good, and when I want to attract something or someone, when I’m ready, I just open it up. I open up my energy and put it out there. Then, when I’m done, I close it shut. I can put out the “come hither” finger. It’s all about attitude. When I met that eighty-year-old woman, I saw her do it to a younger guy who was just like, “Wow, this woman is amazing,” and then I saw her turn it off. It was the most remarkable thing. It made me think, “Maybe everybody can do that. If they’re smart enough.”
    Attitude is important that way. When you’re walking around with your head down or your eyes glued to your phone, this is not saying, “Come talk to me.” If you’re walking around with your head up, a smile on your face, and an open expression, with an energy, and then you zoom in on somebody, that’s saying, “You know what? You might want to come and talk to me. I might have something interesting to say to you.”
    Think back to the older woman. She’s standing there, thinking, “So, you think because I’m eighty that maybe I’m not all that interesting, maybe I’m not for you. First, come over and talk to me. You don’t have to get past any preconceived notions yet. See what I have to say, what I have to offer. Now, you want to talk to me again?Each time you come back, you might get a little bit more, unless I realize you’re an asshole and then I’m gone again. I turn it off.”
    When people approach you, to talk to you, you know, you can control your attitude. Each of us can: men, women, little kids. Little kids are the best with it. When they want your attention, you are going to know, and they will jump through hoops and have no shame in getting you to pay attention. It’s like these little arms going, “Hey! I’m here! Watch me! Listen to me!” It’s a wonderful thing.
    It’s something you can do, too, in your own way, so be aware of it.

 
ASK WHOOPI
    How Do You Start Dating Again After Fifty?
    After fifty or sixty or whatever, the first thing to do is find yourself a cannon, aim it in the direction you want to go, and shoot yourself out of it.… What do you mean “How do you get back in the dating world after fifty?” How did you get into the dating world the first time? You met people, you went to bars, you went to dinner, you had friends who had other people, who maybe weren’t hooked up with other folks—that’s how you do it. And of course now there is a huge variety of dating websites to make it that much easier for you if you really have no friends or local bars.
    You gotta get over this idea that after a certain age you’re not supposed to be hooking up or looking for sex or a relationship or whatever. What is that? You can have as much sex as you want to have for as long as you want to have it. And whenyou don’t want to have it anymore, say, “It’s not for me anymore.”
    Are you dating because you want to find somebody to spend your life with and you’re looking for another relationship, another marriage perhaps? I don’t know if that’s the best thing for you. But if your religion says you shouldn’t be out there without a partner, then you have to figure that out. Regardless, just do what we have done for centuries. We get our friends involved and we meet people who are interesting to us. Sometimes they’re not exactly our same age. Sometimes you’re a little younger; sometimes they’re a little older. Or vice versa. And there are a lot of positive things that come with both directions, but you have to make a decision.
    Do you want to get back out there? If you do, what are your expectations? You have to name what you want. Write it down. If you know what you want, and you’re clear on it, then write it down and act accordingly.
    Call your friends.
    Call your kids, if you’re lucky enough to have kids.
    Call