https://imgur.com/a/ej8vLxk

https://imgur.com/KwO2Z3G

https://imgur.com/uOt96ZX

Greetings stranger,

I find myself once again, reaching out into the world in search of a meaningful, lasting connection.

I'll start with the basics: Originally from FL, I've been a NC resident since 2016, living in Asheville since 2020. Western NC has been a second home my entire life, however. I'm a recent graduate with my MS in nature-based Experiential Education. I am single, never married, no kids, no criminal history, no history with alcohol or drug abuse, non-smoker (except for the occasional cigar on special occasions) (420 friendly with moderation), and all my life I've stayed relatively fit and healthy. I'm a passionate Aries, if you're into that stuff. I'd like to believe I've got my life pretty well put together. I prefer monogamy but have some experience with non-monogamy. My greatest passions in life have been musical performance throughout my youth, and long-distance backpacking as an adult. In addition to these major interests, I also enjoy active pursuits such as weight lifting, tennis, biking, skating, ping-pong, pool, disc-golf, regular golf, occasional running, swimming, etc. Other hobbies include reading & writing, painting, pc games, photography (mostly nature), D&D, Texas Hold'em, naturalist studies, traveling, graphic novels, movies, dive bars, meeting weird & interesting people, and science. I'm very left-leaning but have always been a critical thinker, capable of making my own judgements about the world. My undergrad BA is in Sociology, with major focuses on Criminology, Environmental Sociology, World Religions, DEI initiatives, and social Psychology. I guess you could say I'm pretty woke. I believe in community/grassroots activism, and have campaigned for a couple of different democratic primary candidates on the state level in FL & NC, plus I have worked as a fundraiser for progressive non-profit organizations. I love and care for all animals, but when it comes to pets, I highly prefer cats. Definitely have a harder time with anxious/high-energy dogs. As for my personality, I'm an ambivert which means I love connecting with other people, and I can easily be the life of the party when I'm somewhere I'm comfortable, but I also need a lot of quiet time and solitude to re-charge. Too much solitude is bad for me. Also, I've been a silly goofball my entire life. Life is meaningless for me if I'm ever unable to make people laugh. I live for laughter. You'll know I'm super comfortable when I can be silly and weird around you without holding back.

OK, I've covered a lot of the pros, I guess if I had to list some cons, one would be that I have an anxiety disorder that I typically keep very well under control, but certain stress triggers can bring it out. I go to therapy when I know I'm having a hard time. I'm very sexually experienced, but I also believe in safe sex and get tested regularly. I'm also a highly independent only-child, so it's sometimes a challenge for me to want to commit to someone unless they seem ideal. I'm actually quite quick to want commitment with someone who has their shit together. I've had an agonizingly long history of dating women who are rife with red flags such as addictions/cheating/insecure/anti-social/generally unkind to everyone or themselves/unresolved trauma or mental health issues/etc. Please, please, please, if you have chronic issues with any of these things and aren't actively working on bettering yourself, don't bother reaching out. I'm looking for someone who has *most* of their life together. I understand that nobody's perfect. Perfection is not what I'm seeking. In fact, I have a huge heart, with lots of love to give to the right person, and it's my deep empathy that has often led me to pursue these unhealthy relationships with women who are emotionally unavailable. I'm not usually one for new year's resolutions but perhaps this needs to be the year where I finally stop settling for the bare minimum. I need someone like myself, healthy and calm, with a thick skin, and able to give love back.

If you still aren't certain of the kind of person I'm looking for, let me make it simple with these characteristics:

Funny, kind, intelligent, careful, loves cats, nerdy with passions, interests and hobbies, optimistic, has worked on themselves, is a great communicator, is comfortable being single and waiting for the right person, doesn't have problems with consuming things like drugs/alcohol/nicotine/overeating, doesn't have psycho exes lingering in their lives, doesn't have problems with serial cheating, knows her self-worth, is able to set realistic healthy boundaries, exercises and stays in decent shape, liberal ideologies, cares about people and the planet, monogamous, or at least monogamish* Bonus points for outdoorsy (but not required) and kink-friendly.

I know this list seems sort of impossible for some people... so I'm going to be gracious enough to say that nobody needs to match EVERYTHING here, but if I'm being real to myself, the more points that align here, the better the potential match.

Last thing I'll say is that while I love the area that I'm currently living in, I do not currently have the kind of job I see myself in for the next ten years, so I'm open to meeting someone out-of-state and seeing if a strong connection can be formed, and I'd see if I can find my next dream job elsewhere. WNC post-hurricane (and even pre-hurricane) has been a difficult place to find a long-term job. Plus, I'm still kinda fresh out of grad school, so I'm doing my best. ALSO - we've just entered a new level of political dystopia here in the states, so I'm also more or less open to the idea of connecting with someone internationally.

If you made it through all this, congrats! You're already pretty special. Go ahead and shoot your shot. Please included a pic as I've been brave enough to include three up-front. Tell me as much about yourself as you feel is appropriate.