The Golden Bachelor is a Gift to Americans.

Although I have watched numerous reality TV and dating shows and ABC’s The Bachelor before, nothing compares to the first-time experiment that’s going on every Thursday evening, The Golden Bachelor. Whoever thought bringing an aging widower, 72-year-old Gerry Turner, and a group of wine-loving, over 60 single, vibrant women together in a Bachelor spinoff and reality show had it right. Instead of focusing on bikini and muscle shots in beautiful locations and the ridiculous backstabbing, manipulative, emotional teenagers, we get to see a whole new kind of love story with depth, emotional intelligence, and older adults who are often harshly judged, showing that we still matter and have a lot of life yet to live. I can’t thank them enough.

Indianan and retired restaurateur and hearing aid-wearing Gerry is grateful to be on his new journey and searching for the woman of his dreams after having lost his beloved wife and high school sweetheart, Toni, from a bacterial infection in 2017. As he tells the story of his one great love and how she died unexpectedly not long after they had just retired and built their dream house on a beautiful lake, we, in return, fall in love with him. Although men who are successful, vulnerable, confident, caring, thoughtful, and emotionally mature exist, they aren’t in huge numbers, and I think it’s because women don’t demand it enough. (By that, I mean, if we women refused to commit to a man who won’t be vulnerable, they’d have to step up, right?) I hope that lovable, caring, super-active Gerry Turner shows women of all ages what’s possible in real life and not to settle. You can find a man who mentally, physically, and emotionally works on all cylinders. Seeing these older contestants have fun, laugh, and do silly things recasts those of us of a certain age who still feel young and as if we still have a lot to contribute and a lot of life left to live. Even my husband enjoys the new series, notices the higher level of how contestants conduct themselves and isn’t embarrassed for me to tell anyone we’re watching it. With the advent of Golden Bachelor, we’re hoping for more reality and scripted shows that show people over 60 as having endless possibilities ahead. Based on what I’ve read, younger members…