and so it goes...

I seek counsel and advice from many quarters... I try to listen attentively. I wish to be open minded and consider all points of view. I love to hear what other people have to say. We can only get better by absorbing all the information that we can, and by making informed decisions, yes?

I am conservative by nature - now there is a newsflash. Both in political matters, somewhat in religious matters, though I try not to be unloving and accepting as I can be. I am very conservative in matters of the heart, and having an understanding of me thusly, the rest of me is quite liberal, with, I hope a loving and accepting temperment, some who tries to embrace instead of reject, look for similarities and shared beliefs, instead of knocking down a person who may not think like I do in everything...

I have set out recently, to be more open to more kinds of situations, to reach out to people to see if there might be, somewhere out there, a safe harbor for this tired and somewhat cynical heart. I am still an agnostic when it comes to these matters - yes, people can find that life partner, that soulmate (tired as that expression has become...) - but I still do not know if there is that someone out there for everyone. Just because some people find it, does not guarantee it for everyone.

As luck would have it, or fate or whatever, I made that contact with someone. We had advanced those tentative steps, made each other laugh, had some things in common, and enjoyed similar things. We are not mirror images of each other, but that is not a deal breaker for me - I like strong independence, and uniqueness, and there was pretty to be attracted to. Talk of meeting and getting together... we almost had a chance this past weekend, but schedules did not quite mesh, but there will be other chances...

And so the venture continues. Still tentatively exploring one another - sharing our pasts, sharing stories, of triumph and of disappointments... it's all fun at this point. We laugh a lot, we are very open and encouraging each other, which leads to more sharing. It's all good. She got so comfortable with me, in fact, that she was willing to share with me that she would be willing to meet me, no matter what her boyfriend thinks.