If we’re not here to make better people of ourselves, then what are we doing on this planet? I truly believe that personal growth is the key to happiness. Anyone who is introspective is on the right path to emotional fulfillment. I try to live by this example and hope the people I meet online share this feeling.

I am smart, friendly, creative and confident. I have a good sense of humor, and am comfortable making fun of myself or having others laugh at my expense. I am both deeply emotional and yet very strong. I try to surround myself with people I respect and admire, and would love for my partner to outshine me in any of the above characteristics.

In both life and career, I am hard-working, reliable, responsible and leave no stone unturned in trying to find solutions to problems. I will make big sacrifices for friends and family, but I won’t enable laziness or carelessness about matters of importance. I am very fair in my judgments and actions.

I have two beautiful children who live with me most of the time. I am kind, supportive, patient and actively involved in all elements of my children’s lives. I truly LISTEN to them and to most everyone else. Luckily, I have several nights to myself each week, as well as some long weekends and vacations, so I enjoy a social life despite being a single parent.

I am a published writer (fiction and poetry), an accomplished speaker and a life-long musician (guitar) although I no longer play professionally (but may again in the future). I can sing without embarrassing myself.

I am a voracious reader. For example, I’ve read every novel that’s won the Pulitzer Prize going back to 1918 (although I need to catch up a bit on the current decade). I love fiction and non-fiction and am interested in any subject. I can hold my own in conversations ranging from politics to history to particle physics. I also love movies of all genres and can discuss film on both an intellectual and emotional level.

I exercise nearly every day, but am not a gym rat or an iron pumper. I’m in better cardio health than most people my age and weigh the same as I did in college.

What am I looking for? A smart, successful, attractive woman who will be a partner. I want to explore and talk about pursuits that are both fun and interesting. I do not want to “take care” of someone, but to share equally in life’s challenges and joys. I am a very generous person, but am turned-off by materialism. (I do live in a beautiful house with nice things, but this does not define me.) If your idea of the perfect day out is one in which shopping is the key component, I am not the right person for you. Anyone with a credit card can buy “stuff.” I’d rather have someone who is a thinker, a creator, a doer. That said, I'll go to Bloomingdales with you occasionally.

If you’re a painter, I will frame and hang everything you create. If you’re a professional, I will applaud all of your successes and help you figure out all of your problems. If you are truly my friend and soul mate, there’s nothing I won’t do for you.

I'd rather the first date be a simple meeting over coffee or a drink to see if there is chemistry. On the second date, I'd like to do something in which we can share a mutual interest while continuing to talk. A museum on a rainy day, a table outside at a fun restaurant and/or a walk in the park on a beautiful day would be great.