A kind and compassionate heart heads up my list. I am very well educated and have a great sense of humor - I love to laugh and to make others laugh I love culture, exercise (weight training, hiking, and very long walks), nature, and travel. Love is a treasure that requires cultivation each new day, as the French say -- soigneusement, so that it not become stale by taking one another for granted -- each surrenders his own heart to the other. Love is a growth process where time is shared with someone who can learn from me and from whom I can learn. Pretension and drama are destructive forces -- each must listen and attentively take to heart the concerns of the other. A soul mate is to be cherished. The continuity of the raging fire of passion is fueled by respect, effortless and fluid communication, devotion, loyalty, and all else that blossoms in its path. A tender open heart makes everything possible. I prefer someone who has an inquisitive mind and is be able to share intellectually and culturally along with just being plain ole silly, enjoying nature, going on hikes, etc.