I just got out of a six-year marriage, and suddenly have twice the bills... there's an irony in it, too, because I supported him while he built his business and only cut back to halftime in 2007 so he could work full-time. Now I'm trying to live on half my usual income, without a partner to make up the other half. I've had those thoughts... "If I just had a partner to pick up the slack..."

But I really think it's healthier right now not to, and important, on a pretty major level, to work out how to survive and thrive on our own. It might mean having a housemate (a friend of mine broke up with her boyfriend and moved in with me... she can't pay anywhere close to half, but it helps) and it also might mean living in a place that's not your ideal, or even close to it. But MAKING IT is really important and knowing that you're self-sufficient and capable will heal you tremendously.

And if you really just want the hot sex, we'll have to club together and buy you a plane ticket, because there's a queue of attractive American men forming on this board :p

I don't need a man for money; I have my own. I don't need a man to buy me things; I'll do that myself. I don't need a man I think makes me look good or increases social standing, whatever that is; I've never cared much about those kinds of things. I don't even need a man for sex; "I'm responsible for my own orgasm"--Teri Garr in Tootsie. ;)

But a companion, a friend, someone who happens to think you're the bees knees, gets you, will be caringly honest if you're being a butthead, and gentle when your world is falling apart. Someone beside you in your darkest of times, someone you know wouldn't take advantage of your heart, or make you feel badly about yourself to make themselves feel better. Someone to talk to, laugh with, and be silent with...

I could deal with those things.

I think you just described a dog. ;)

I've never had a pet tell me I need to take a step back and stop being a butthead. I've also never had a pet tell a joke, or even laugh at mine. Maybe I need a monkey? ;)

No, they fling poo. I think you've had quite enough of that. ;)

Thats right - you've only got cats :eyebrow:

Heh...I don't want to know the details of your more intimate relations with dogs.

Though dogs can share spaghetti with you; it's romantic...I saw it on Lady and the Tramp.

You haven't lived until you've shared a meat ball with a tramp. :blush:

And there's me. Don't forget about me.

And if he made you cum like an h-bomb, that wouldn't be so bad either, right?

Well, hell yes, the underlying point is that would be a great plus. But I don't have to depend on it. ;)

See the difference between men's and women's perception of the relationship?

Yeah, I guess she's not looking for a stud, whose father owns a liquor store and has a twin brother. ;)