When my daughter Nadia (now 10) was born, I said to myself, "The rest of my life will be spent showing this child the splendors of the world." And that is exactly how it has been. At nine months she walked along the Seine in Paris (in the Kelty pack), hit the Orsay museum, found some gorgeous local clothes (the selection at mall stores is a downer), and broke a plate in a fancy restaurant in Provence.

The Maya Angelou quote in my headline mentions seeking out "every good thing" in life. Here are a few of those things, as I see it. If you think along the same lines, send me a note.

IMPROVING THE WORLD: I chose to become a teacher because I thought I could make a difference. A bit idealistic, I know, but that's me: an idealist and a romantic. I feel that it is vital to be a part of the larger community, helping others. As they say, "It takes a village to raise a child," and my family is trying to turn that saying around a bit to discover another truism: "It takes a child to raise a village." We are currently saving money to buy a goat for a family in Africa (the plight of Botswana has particularly touched us).

As far as my interests go and what makes me tick, just ask. Conversation is so much more satisfying than reading profiles, don't you think?

It's hard to say just what kind of woman would be right for me. Someone I find lovely, of course. But attraction is a mysterious and unpredictable thing. I could very well be surprised. Most likely you are someone who will stop to help an elderly person cross the street--someone who practices random acts of kindness. I would also think that you are someone children gravitate toward because you are genuinely interested in them. Do art and ideas move you? I would hope so.

And if we are to meet on this site, you will have to be willing to take a bit of a risk and contact someone who is currently separated but not yet divorced. Hopefully I sound enough like someone you'd like to meet that you'll ask questions and talk a bit before moving on. I would.

Do I really have to fill in this part? It seems kind of silly, perhaps a bit juvenile. We're smart people. It won't be too hard to come up with something together. If the company is good and the conversation flows, it won't matter what we do. My romantic side makes me lean toward something more like a short, breath-taking hike or a trip to a French bakery, ending out in a bookstore, antique gallery, or a park . . . . It's not so much what we do as it is the connections made while talking, laughing, and discussing ideas.