Darrell and Lory met at a self-serve car wash.  His Volkswagen Beetle was in line ahead of her.  When he started taking out his floor mats and hung them on the wall hooks, he saw that the cute girl in the car behind him couldn't take her eyes off him.

"I thought at first it was just one of those eye contact moments," he said, blushingly.  "However, every time I turned, I saw her smiling at me while she was sitting in her car.  When I was done I walked right up to her and asked for her number."

Lory sent signals that she was ready to be flirted with and Darrell took her up on them.  He also washed her car, too.  The tip here is be on the lookout for great flirting opportunities in the most mundane of places such as a car wash.

Jeremy and Ellen of Long Island, New York ran into each other, literally, while out jogging early in the morning before work. Jeremy said he soon began to notice that their paths were becoming closer and closer during the past few weeks.

"I would flirt with her by grinning as I ran by her and she would smile in return," Jeremy said. "Then one day, I was coming around a corner not paying attention and we slammed right into each other. It was the best accident that every happened to me."

She agreed.

"I was actually looking across the street for him," she said, suppressing giggles, "because that was where he would usually be running... however, for some reason, he wanted to run on my side of the block. I turned and next thing you know I am in his arms and we are covered in oranges from the fruit stand we demolished."

They both agree that any time one is out doing their past time, excellent flirting opportunities abound to meet like-minded spirits looking for the same thing. Now they plan their runs together.

Roger, from Chicago, IL, and Naomi, from Erie, PA, found each other volunteering for hurricane relief efforts in Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He would flirt with her by leaving inspirational messages on her work assignment folders to keep her going.

The lesson here is that volunteer activities are a gold mine for great flirting opportunities. This should not be lost when your altruistic yearnings to help others beckon.

As such, you are guaranteed to find somebody who cares about the same things you do. So volunteer for something you like. Be on the look out for like-minded flirts.

Larry and Cheryl from Myrtle Beach, SC, knew each other from years of spotting each other on vacation as both had time-shares next to each other's family. Now both are divorcees, and they recently found themselves alone on vacation. Larry initiated some serious flirting.

"He was such a goof," Cheryl mused to Flirting.com. "He would come over to me as I was lying out and ask me if I had seen his beach ball. Then he would flex his muscles as if he was a steroid freak while he was describing his lost ball. Shamefully, I bought this act hook line and sinker."

Larry laughed. "I needed to find a way to approach her that wouldn't seem so obvious... I could not think of any other way, so I just thought I would be corny as possible. It worked."

Cheryl was highly approachable; she was just waiting for Larry to take the first step. Larry did and now they can look for his beach ball together.

Rico and Maria from East Los Angeles, CA, both grew up in the same neighborhood. Unlike many of their friends, however, both were serious about going to college. They believe that education is the key to success and they discovered this common ground as they flirted with each other for months prior to graduating high school.

"Maria was incredibly hard to approach and my flirting seemed to be getting nowhere... I would always approach her in the lunch room and ask her about her homework and stuff," Rico said, "little did I know, she was interested in me because I was persistent. Then she found out that I wanted to go to college, and we have been there for each other ever since. We support each other."

What worked for Rico was his willingness to persevere. What worked for Maria was her receptiveness to his flirting, which allowed her to see him for the man he wants to become.

Gretchen and Tony met at an outdoor street fair in New York City.  Tony found Gretchen at the ring toss booth where she was desperately trying to win a stuffed animal for her niece.  Tony, who had just come down to check out the fun, decided to help her win a prize.   As he was leaning forward getting ready to toss the ring, she placed her hand on his shoulder.  When this happened, Tony knew he was in.

Carnivals, celebrations and any festive environments create little social pockets where the flirting rules are loosened.  You can let you hair down so speak and put your hand on a stranger's shoulder, which otherwise might not seem appropriate in public places.  Take advantage of such loose flirting rules and win a stuffed animal along with her heart.

Steve and Mel met on a singles cruise.  Steve thought Mel was out of his league because she was so drop-dead gorgeous.  Plus, Steve had very limiting beliefs about how good looking he was, which is why he thought there was no way he could flirt with this beauty.  Luckily, he learned to overcome his insecurity and flirt anyway. 

"I trained myself to remember it was not my looks that were holding me back," he said, "but it was my beliefs about my looks....  This thought gave me the courage to approach her."

Most obstacles to flirting are 90-percent mental.  A certain lack of confidence can undermine the best attempts at flirting.  Such fears are usually not rooted in reality. So if you find yourself suffering such negative thinking, ask yourself if your negative thoughts honestly reflect reality.  Like Steve and Mel, you will find they often don't.

Toby, a drummer in the band, Cheesecake from Susan, based in Saginaw, Michigan, hit the mother load when he insisted on flirting with Lori, a bisexual vocalist who helped her partner, Susan, with her songs and, we can only presume, her cheesecake. He not only began dating Lori, but Susan, too.

"I won't say it is anything serious," Lori told us, "but, Toby is really cool and a funny flirt. He makes Susan and I feel very comfortable about who we are and that is what we love about him."

Toby is living proof that some guys can have their cake - at least cheesecake - and eat it, too. Sometimes flirting is about letting that person (or persons) know you are there to listen.