Obi-Wan Kenobi: "Hello there."

Like a bedrock stone freeing itself into the stream of a bubbling brook, I am here now after some somber times, opening myself to the world and what meaningful joys it may bring- and what joys I may bring others, too. I am a very hopeful person, but I do my best to stay grounded, grateful for life. I can find happiness in little things easily, but I am not annoyingly happy. Ever wake up and as you're getting dressed and ready to start your day, you just get really content and motivated to do your best and keep growing as a person? That's me most mornings.

I bought a townhouse in Northern Virginia, USA, a few months ago (previously lived here most of my life too) and am starting to finally settle in, decorating and fixing things bit by bit; this is the first time I've both owned a house and lived in it without a partner, and it's becoming abundantly clear to me that I need to start socializing much more. So... time to tell you a bunch about me:

I really like exercising and going to the gym, I do it almost every day, but I try to do it in a way that doesn't take away from my free time for meeting or bonding with others (please happen more please happen more 🤞). I am super big on multitasking- I am writing this whole post while on the treadmill. However, I do my best to give my undivided attention to people when interacting. I love doing physical activities like hiking, table tennis (I'm wicked good at that), pickleball (I really want to get into it more), boxing, and am definitely open to trying new things. I stay very fit (6ft, 178lb), eat pretty healthy, friggin' LOVE most fruits, and can really enjoy some nice foodie experiences (Texas De Brazil is one of my top-end go-tos). I also really enjoy cooking; you can check out my profile post history for pics of past dishes I've made- I'm pretty amateur at it but I will keep improving 💪🏻 Apologies that my profile has a "NSFW" tag; I'm not sure why it has that, and the only thing remotely NSFW I've posted is a shirtless progress pic many years ago that I have long-since deleted.

To balance out all the fitness-minded stuff: I love almost anything fantasy or sci-fi themed, especially classic stuff from the 80s and 90s, but I am loving much of the newer stuff too. I am passionate about learning and teaching myself new skills (most recently, that's a huge foray into gardening). I am a tricky mix of shy/introverted at first and very extroverted once I get to know someone. I am working on being more the latter and less the former, baby step by baby step; it's been a long journey, and I was a super shy kid. I also love tabletop games, especially TCGs and board games. I host a public board game night at a local church every Wednesday night; new players are always welcome (100% free, and I provide everything, including the games and free snacks).

I would now like to take a moment to say that fireflies are so magical. I hope one day to be in a field at night surrounded by them.

And like fireflies, I love to look up at the stars. The night sky doesn't get very clear here, and I hope to travel to Shenandoah someday soon (2-3hr drive for me, I think; never been) and look up at the night sky there, taking in the breathtaking beauty of it all. I imagine I'll love it so much I might tear up.

Alright time to condense this post... spark note mode:

1. Most people think I look ~ten years younger than I am
2. I am really good at finding 4-leaf clovers
3. I have seven tattoos
4. My favorite movie is Aliens (1986)
5. I am attracted to the opposite gender; I happily support people of all walks of life
6. I am very passionate about small business and have some successful small businesses
7. My favorite number is 333, and it has come up in some interesting and meaningful ways in my past, eerily

I would prefer to make in-person connections, and am open to both friendship and more; I would really like to start building deep, growing bonds, but I know such things can take an important amount of time to grow naturally. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read all that I wrote. ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ