Justine is a single lady, in her late-30s, and her work colleague Ted has asked her if she'd like to go on a blind date with his flatmate. . . Let's call the flatmate Bryan. Bryan broke up with his long-term girlfriend 6 months ago, and now he wants to meet someone new.

Justine's very hesitant. She's always avoided this kind of thing, because she just doesn't have a lot of enthusiasm for the idea of sitting down to a meal with some guy she has never met before, and being expected to instantly hit it off.

The closest she ever got to a blind date in the past was lunch with a business associate who'd liked her from a distance for some time; And she just found the whole experience a bit weird and creepy.  Because of the awkward nature of their meeting, and his over-inflated expectations, she didn't even end up forming a friendship with the guy. And as a result, she now just feels the whole idea of a blind date is doomed to fail - she'd prefer to get to know guys as a genuine friend first, without the pressure of a 'date' context.

But at the same time, Justine is an older single woman, who would like to be married, and admits there aren't a whole lot of other opportunities on the horizon.  What should she do?

DISCUSSION POINTS

• One of Justine's main concerns is that Ted, her workmate, doesn't really know her that well. They don't socialise, they only cross paths occasionally in the work cafeteria - so he really doesn't know her personality, or what she's looking for in a guy. Certainly none of the things he's said about Bryan have got her very interested. So this doesn't come across as the caring gesture of a friend - it seems more like Ted has just picked the nearest single girl to try and solve his friend's loneliness problem. "She'll do".

• Yet Justine's also wondering, if she says no, will she be missing an opportunity? Maybe she's just being a bit of a snob, and a little too picky... She's always believed God would bring the right guy along, and has a fairly clear picture of the kind of man she's looking for... She doesn't want to just settle for anyone. But is that maybe why she's still single in her late 30s?

• Part of her thinks maybe she should she go for a date to get it over with. But then that just feels deceptive and mean. (Especially when she's already decided that he doesn't sound like a very interesting guy.)

• Should she take the plunge and go on a date, just to see if there's anything in this? Or say no, and always be wondering about what could have been?

Share your advice!