Interesting.....after a 33 year bad marriage with another 11 years separated by 2100 miles, I can better make up a list of the "no-ways" than I can preferences.

Though top of the list isn't a preference it is a manditory requirement.....same religious beliefs to strengthen each other.

I need someone with common sense & intelligence as I found that someone with a high IQ but not a lick of common sense only creates total frustration & anger in me because I want someone totally capable of handling the same things as I am....this gets more critical the older I get because if I ended up ill again I need someone competent to handle the things I no longer can handle & I expect the same from myself.

Definitely mutual respect is a requirement....for me whete thete is no respect there is no love.

Being independent, I need my independence to do all the things I am involved in though it is nice to have someone with similar interests & involvements that would be virtually impossible to find so I need my freedom & give the same freedom to them

Trust is key...not just on the relationship end but in the every day livibg stuff. If I ask a question about something & want the facts, not whan someone mskes up in their mind to be the facts. Need someone willing to say "I don't know, I need to research the answer"

If the foundation of a relationship is solid then the other things flexibly fit in