Aside from sense of humor, independence is the most attractive quality in a person. The paradox is that relationships are entities that require a certain amount of dependence on one another. So how do we do this?

In some cases, nature has figured it out. A good example where both partners benefit would be the clownfish/sea anemone as portrayed in Little Nemo:

The clownfish has a symbiotic, or mutually beneficial, relationship with the sea anemone. The clownfish will leave the safety of the anemone's tentacles and swim out among the nearby reef. Its brilliant colors attract larger fish, who, lured by the thought of a meal, follow it back to the anemone and are stung by the anemone's tentacles, while the clownfish fish remains unharmed.

What I'm getting at... There is a cooperation. That's key: relationships are about cooperation.

We need to remember that relationships are just one part of our lives. We need to make sure to swim out into the reef when we want to if we are allowed that independence, we will always return to our anemone.

Being independent is attractive, and allowing independence in a relationship is a sign of trust. This is not an easy thing to do though, and when we colonize someone or get colonized by someone, we fall into parasitic can't live without you tendencies, we lose friends, and other parts of our lives break apart.

I love Balboa Park. So a nice walk in the park would be my ideal first date. The science museum is one of my favorites. We'd have to stop and get some coffee - another favorite. Then maybe a second date if all is going well and you don't think that the science museum is for dorks (I mean, it is but I'm kinda a dork myself).