What I Seek:
A regular Joe. Red-blooded, apple-pie-eating, loves-his-Mama, believes-in-God, work-and-personally-ethical, sports-watching, kite-flying boy-next-door.  Someone who will appreciate a person's strengths and can accept a person's flaws without hoping for change or minding change if it happens.  I realize my lack of preferences casts too wide a net because certainly we all have subliminal preferences. If you have a yen for tall blondes, or asian features, my inherent attributes probably will prove to be an eventual stumbling block.  I know we all have inherent preprogramming but flexibility is an asset in all walks of life. Cognitive dissonace cannot be taught.  I have no graven characteristics I seek because I personally have passed over many ads where I was 99% right and then the last line was "5'3" minimum height", or Baptists only. Close calls. Passing ships in the night. The brush of angel wings. I imagine some of them might have eventually liked me but I don't like a closed mind. I have come to believe that the ability to love is more intrinsic than extrinsic. I'd like to find someone intrigued enough and brave enough to withstand some possibly clumsy flirting by a sincere person.

I cannot pinpoint any one factor that would make me reject someone initially if they were 75% otherwise what I wanted. For instance, I don't smoke but a sweet and genuine smoker would have me over a surly conceited non-smoking player any day of the week. I don't CARE what you drive, what music you listen to, how much you earn, where you live, what color your hair is, how much you weigh-the things everyone puts in ads. The factors I am looking for go deeper than that. To me, attraction is always a algebraic sort of computation-How can baldness bother me if he brings me flowers? What good is a gorgeous guy with a passive aggressive attitude? The missing tooth is a turn-off if you got it in a bar brawl. Rich doesn't make up for cheating and lies. The messy house is incidental if you can debate the finer points of existence. The blue-collar job is fine if you can fix my dishwasher. The coke bottle glasses look good on the one who will hold my hand, pat my back, let me cry and say they love me when the car breaks down and the deadlines are hammering despite 15 hour days and the house is a mess and the clients all call daily and I cannot, just cannot take another step for exhaustion (usually happens at least every Jan, March & April). I am afraid to let myself need somebody-But secretly, I want someone who will craft themselves into that one indispensible and trustworthy person I am not afraid to need. Someone who is God loving, not God fearing. Who does not have a single intractable set of rules for salvation. Broad minded enough to believe evolution and creation can co-exist. Open to possibilties, ideas and reggae. Who can appreciate the wonder of an ant crossing the sidewalk as fully as a rainbow after rain. A gentle soul who can appreciate that Michaelangelo's David, God's common dandelion and Dr Seuss' The Cat in the Hat are equal in beauty and importance in the grand scheme of things. Who understands that the chain of moments that make up our existences ARE the reason and therefore worthy of wonder. But will still forgive me when I get bitchy on the 22nd day or when stress is eating me alive and I temporarily forget these facts myself. Someone who will give up the easy Internet fantasies for the harder but more worthwhile reality when they find someone worth crafting concessions and compromises for. Who will love me when I veg, who will love me when I run.