One foot in front of the other

[SteveLW]

As far as what to look for in a new R, I find that people often look for the wrong things. We just discussed this in Ace32's thread. When I was single I always tried to find the woman I was smitten with, that I was crazy for. Spent decades waiting for my "true love" to come around, and she never did. Met my W and was immediately taken with her, at first she was hesitant. I often wonder if that hesitancy at first was what has caused us issues. I had lots of women when I was an eligible bachelor that were cuckoo for cocoa puffs about me. One in particular that I briefly dated, would come back and poke around every few years to see if my interest had changed. She finally gave up when I married my W. But I look back and kick myself for not giving her more of a chance. My 20/20 glasses have convinced me that what we should be looking for is someone that is crazy about us, not that we are crazy about. I look at my brother, he married a woman that was bonkers for him. She wasn't the best looking woman that was interested in him, but he prioritized how much she loved him over looks. And they've been happily married for a long time! I was too shallow and tried to find the person I was crazy for instead of the other way around.

So take your time. Learn to be happy alone. Do the work necessary on yourself and don't jump into something new right away. We are about the same age, and at our age everyone we meet will have their own emotional baggage. Make sure they've worked through all of that themselves, and that you have through yours, before jumping into something again.