As someone who was widowed young and someone who dipped her toes into the dating water briefly, I think I might have read this with a bit of a different perspective than at least some of the other readers.

Oh, how I empathize with him. Widowers, especially those with small children sometimes jump back in very soon. Women typically move slower. There are exceptions to both of these paradigms.

His so soon after his wife died attempt at dating happened when he was still processing his wife’s death. I applaud him for talking about her. I imagine he might have felt he didn’t have much else to talk about.

His impulse to strip and swim with younger people- I get that too. Grief, trauma, losing our center all might lead us to be impulsive, spontaneous, goofy.

You seem like a very kind person. I’m glad he got matched with you and not your friend who couldn’t even cope with a conversation that included death.