Date men and women from United States / Alaska / Big Lake, 46 year old

Date a soulmate from Big Lake, United States. OK! Here I go. Life is about peeling back the layers of one's self until the inner core is discovered until finally one day, you look in the mirror and understand "this is who I am, this is what I can do, and this is what I'm capable of becoming." What I have discovered is that I am a pretty good guy. I am short in stature, but large with heart and life! In general, I am a positive thinker, it's not that I see the glass as half empty or half full, I take the quantity that is in the glass as it is and work to improve it. The ups and downs in my life have made me who I am, and I am pretty happy with who I turned out to be! I am a genuinely good hearted man, who displays confidence in myself without arrogance. I am fun and romantic. I have a very close community of friends and family. I am active and energetic. I have a great deal of humor (maybe a little offbeat at times...) without being mean-spirited. I am indepent and self motivated. I work hard and I play hard. Sometimes I play hard by working hard...yard work comes to mind! I am a very deep thinker, and I love learning about anything and everything. Self authenticity is very important to me, I have worked very hard to discover exactly who I am and what I want in this life and I have pursued things that I've wanted to accomplish with vigor and gusto! For example, in the summer of last year (2011) I weighed about 230 lbs, I have worked this year to improve my health and have lost 40 pounds...please see the pics if interested so that you can see for yourself! I am a very loyal and caring friend. I am very good with (although shy at first) with people from ages 0 to 150! I have a career, home life, hobbies and activities that fill my time.
What I lack in my life right now is someone to enjoy all of those things with. Sharing a cup of coffee in the morning, hearing about someone's day (other than mine...) visiting places with someone, sharing common everyday experiences with someone. Laughing about something funny and turning to the person I'm with to see if they're laughing too and then enjoying the moment with them. Getting excited for them because they've discovered something they like to do. Sharing the enjoyment out of something that they enjoy doing. All of those things that center around companionship.
I am looking for a woman who knows who she is and is happy with herself, always seeking to reach beyond just what most would settle for. Honesty and self authenticity are very important qualities. It would be nice if she were kind, considerate, nurturing (but not a wall flower...or an enabler) and able to take care of herself. I would like to find someone fun, romantic and affectionate, with a good sense of humor (nothing out meaness please, we are all human...!) It would be good if she knew how to balance life in such a way that the dramas that come with life aren't overly dramatic and the high points of life aren't taken to unrealistic extremes. For example, haha I'm 5'2"...I would really like to meet a woman who is 5'0". But logic suggests that in my postition, I should not be so picky about a person's height. I would like to find someone in general who is willing to share the common goal of building something special together and open-minded about the opportunities, possibilities and the potential!
Thank you for viewing my profile and have a GREAT day!