You must be 5’10 for admission. Those are my rules, ladies. However, I’m starting to question if that’s altogether fair. If I’m honest, I know it’s not. But we all have them. And whomever you tell your restrictions to will inevitably respond by saying, ‘What if Mr. Right is 5’9, are you just going to turn him away?’ Perhaps.

It brings me to my latest match, J. J is much younger than me – 10 years to be precise. If experience is any indication that means he’s 15 years less mature. However, J seems to be interested. He’s funny, he’s driven and he’s short. He’s 5’9. ‘But what if he is Mr. Right, Ms. P?’

If you’ve experimented with online dating with any frequency (bless you,) then you know not to get your hopes up. I don’t mean that in a cynical way per se, just that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Or its first few pages for that matter.

By that token, it is not fair to judge based on height – or whatever your restrictions may be: level of completed education, career, religious affiliation, etc. But it is important to know what matters to you. Relationships are hard enough without having something that doesn’t fit right out of the gate.

I do think rules are made to be broken, including my own. But knowing what matters and what doesn’t is the key to determining the flaws you can’t live with and the ones you’ll likely grow to love. I’ve decided to let J through the gates.