Love, or something like it.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with love. I love being in love! Waking up next to someone with whom you feel so connected to. Gazing at them as they sleep so peacefully. Wanting to spend every waking moment with them because it physically hurts when they are not near you. It's grand. I've been in love many times and each person was so special to me and to that particular point in my life, that I will continue to feel love for them until the day I die. It does not mean, however, that I was necessarily 'meant to be' with any one of them. I also don't recall ever actively looking for love. It always just happened and that's the way I think it should be. The way I see it, falling in love is the easy part... it's compatibility and compromise that I struggle with, because so many people annoy the piss out of me and I don't care for compromising. In fact, at this point, most of my friends and I have constructed some sort of 'list of traits' we are looking for in a potential partner. Some are preferences that can be easily disregarded if the person is wonderful in other ways. Others are deal-breakers. My list currently includes 38 items. For example:

22.) Must like to dance. That is negotiable, not everyone can boogie.

3.) Must have car and valid driver's license. Non-negotiable. I spent too many years driving people around. You're a functioning adult, you should have a freaking car.

25.) Must be able to spell. Negotiable--I realize it's a personal pet peeve.

15.) Must "get" me and my sense of humor. An ABSOLUTE must! If I am cracking jokes and he is staring at me as though I've grown a third ear, he's out the door. I am a freaking riot, and if you want to spend your life with me, you need to recognize!

Now, I realize that by making my list, I've inevitably jinxed myself and will end up falling head over ass in love with someone the exact opposite of what I think I want....that's what makes this so fun!