must love cats

Even though I'm not a perfect ten... I've always managed to draw a fair amount of interest from the oppposite sex. That's not always a good thing... trust me on this. "Putting myself out there" means that I'm sorting thru my options of the male specimen and considering who might be a worthy partner.

Have you ever gone to a buffet when you were absolutely starving? You don't necessarily pick the most nutritious foods, do you?

So I do have to sometimes push the pause button, step back and take a deep breath and make sure I'm letting red flags be red flags for me and not just a gray waving cloth that I brush aside. I can seriously go back to every single red flag with Michael and tell you exactly when I knew he was not the best guy for me. I thought I was being a sweet, accomodating, tolerant person by accepting him as he was. The problem was... he didn't accept me.

I've found a few red flags on the guy I had hoped would be the next Mr. Right and I'm totally seeing red... as in... stop... don't go there. I won't go into details but I will just give you a few pointers for those who want to be my guy:

1. Must love cats. Not just tolerate. Not believe they should live outdoors (because here, that means certain death. feral cats don't survive in the mountains with the bears and coyotes). Must understand that my cats are my babies and my kitty cat talk is from a heart of love - not from a demented mind.

2. Must be open-minded. I'm conservative... I love Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh... I always vote for the folks with the R beside their name... but I also believe in God's amazing grace. I love a few gay men, unapologetically. Do I biblically believe their lifestyle is 100% in line with God's word? No. Do I believe my lifestyle is 100% in line with God's word? No. We are all sinners saved by grace. Jesus didn't stay in Heaven with the saints. He walked among us.

3. Must understand that I am a free spirit who occasionally makes decisions that defy logic. I have no intention of living a logical life. Occasionally I will spend $4 on a latte... I will go out in pajama pants and flip flops looking like Britney before the conservatorship. I do things that other people might not do. I'm not other people.

4. I think we have a lot to learn. I don't know that the King James Version is the only acceptible version of the bible. I know that God has richly blessed my study of the the New International Version. I believe the Message is a beautiful way to read the bible. Seeking God means allowing Him to speak to us... and he doesn't only speak King James English. I just see God as so much bigger than that...

I don't want you to get the idea that all of these objections came from the same person. But they are some things that have popped up here as I've begun to tread the waters of the dating world. I'm really excited about having the wisdom and discernment to actually see "red". That's huge for me.

Here's the great thing about being older and wiser... just because someone isn't relationship worthy doesn't mean they're not friend worthy. I'm having a great time making new friends... and a single girl can never have too many guys in her life who are willing to tote heavy things, change her oil, squash bugs, watch football... whether I meet someone who will sign up for the next tour of duty with me... or I just make a few new friends... it's a win/win for me, as long as I keep recognizing the color red.

And that, my friends... is my thankful Thursday entry for this week! Hope you have a great day!