A letter to the someone I haven't met

To whoever you are,

I suppose you'd like to know a little bit about me. Well, I'm not going to read off my CV. I'm sure you'll agree with me that if you've read one, you've read them all. I won't tell you how I "have a great love of life", a "sense of humour" or how I like movies and books. I'm here to tell you about me, not Joe P. Average.

Well, here goes:

We'll start with what I am not. I am not a knight in shining armour, a gallant flawless prince who'll sweep you off your feet. I am not Brad Pitt or the next Gadol HaDor. I do not conform to the fantasies we create of our future spouse. I can not "promise a rose garden" of a relationship, and even roses have thorns.

Now that we've got that out of the way, I can start telling you what I am. I am a young adult, relatively mature for my age and with a penchant for deep introspection. I am quite knowledgable in some areas of life, though in others I could use some catching up. I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge for its own sake; I like to hope I "infect" people with this particular "bug".

Though I am not Brad Pitt, I am not bad-looking. I like to think that I carry myself pretty well, and I can be a great conversationalist on various deep subjects, though I have little patience for chit-chat and small talk. I hate large crowds, but I like small groups of people.

My life has not been a cakewalk, though not a running disaster. I have known my share of crises and moments of despair. I like to think I came out of these with a greater appreciation for life and all the good things we take for granted. I can't stand people who look at the world with nothing but cynicism; people who do nothing but criticise and make everyone else miserable. I like to help people; I often hope that at least some of the advice I've given people over the years has helped them along their journey, maybe even preventing them from making some of the mistakes I've made.

I love music. Not a generic "love of music", but music that touches the soul and makes it sing. Music like the symphonies of Mozart, the Romantic masterpieces of Chopin, or the beautiful jazz of Louis Armstrong. I like the kind of music that lets you along for the ride rather than artifically pull on your heart strings. I also love movies that make you think and reflect - I refer to films like the Shawshank Redemption or the Usual Suspects.

I am looking for you because quite frankly I'm tired of being lonely. I want a life partner in every sense of the word, capable of both physical and emotional intimacy. I want to be able to love and be loved. I want someone I can talk to, share good times and bad, raise a Jewish family together.

I think that's enough for now.

Wherever you are, if you're out there, please give me a real chance.

Shabbat Shalom, AIWAC