Date men from United States / California / Walnut, 54 year old

Date a man from United States. To be perfectly honest upfront, I have been separated for about a year and hoping the divorce will be finalized within the next 6 months. For those concerned women, I honestly carry no emotional baggage from the on-going divorce. As with all unexpected changes, they come with the good and bad. My 7 year-old daughter, sharing her diary with me, said it best. She had written that she was saddened by the divorce, but that she was happy she could now have pets in the house. As for me, I'm happy that I am now free to search for a true partner to share life with, and our families with, if you have children of your own.
A little bit about what kind of person I am. I am a kind, genuine, down-to-earth, and caring person. I am also intelligent and highly educated. I believe in responsibility, work, perseverance, honesty, integrity, loyalty, and mutual respect. I am also a realist tinged with optimism. I believe in the glass that is half full until it cracks and empties itself.
I feel passionate about helping others. My life experiences have served as the foundation for what I am today. I left my field of aircraft engineering to enlist as a VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) volunteer. I did volunteer work in Nebraska with a local community action agency assisting the poor and with a Legal Aid group assisting abused women. I returned to California to become a lawyer and have been happily settled for over the past 20 years as an environmental lawyer. I am passionate about my work, which is even more fulfilling knowing that I am helping to make this part of the world a better place for all of us and our children to live.
I like being active. I prefer playing tennis rather than watching it. I like going camping to see grizzlies rather than just viewing them on Discovery channel. But I still enjoy just watching movies and sports, and am looking forward to watching the 2012 Olympics. I like doing new things, dining at new restaurants or hiking a new path. If I have the time, I love traveling to new places. So far, I have explored the Parthenon in Athens, Matisse’s art studio in Nice, rode a camel in Egypt, participated in bazaars in Morocco, and walked along the coast of Portugal. I would love to travel with you.
But I want more than an activities partner, although shared activities are important. I want someone who I would want to be with all the time, so that seeing you at the end of a day will always be the brightest moment of the day -- except when I first see you asleep in the morning and give you a loving kiss. I would love to converse with you, laugh with you, or laugh at each other. (I am more a wit than a clown.) I would love to cuddle together to watch a movie or a sunset on the beach, stroll hand-in-hand through markets or the Huntington Gardens. I will love to make you smile and better yet laugh. I will love to surprise you with special romantic moments just to see your face light up. I would even want to do the more mundane things in life together-- shopping, housework, etc. In short, I am seeking a partner to share life with.
I believe in the Golden Rule, and honest and open communication with each other, mutual respect and caring, because that is the only way to make a relationship last forever. I don't want to be on this web-site again!
I have reached a stable point in my career where I can happily afford to spend lots of time and attention to those I care for the most. Currently, those people include my son and my daughter. The song sung by Harry Chapin, “Cat’s in the Cradle,” reminds me of how lucky I am to be able to be part of my children’s lives. I hope that you too will also be someone that is part of my life.