The Perfect Man

I have always thought that, regardless of who we are and no matter how old, all women dream of that fairytale happy-ending. I don't know a single woman who doesn't have a version of "the list". "the list" is basically a list of things that they would like a man to fulfil and characteristics they'd like in a partner. This list can be anything from brown hair, blue eyes to personal traits like funny or well presented.

Most men, when the fairytale is mentioned, start to think the whole "knight in shining armour" thing. I'll admit, I have thought this a romantic image in the past, and sometimes I wonder whether I would still like it or not. However, having found Mark I have begun to question my own list of stuff. He fulfils almost everything on that original list, but there are a couple of things that have since been scratched off the list. This includes the idea of being overly chivalrous.

Chivalry is, according to the media, dead; so when you find it it is a rare gem. However, too much of it makes you feel like the other party thinks you're helpless. Of course, this is just an example, but there are other things that have since been struck off the list. The idiom "everything in moderation" comes to mind.

I wonder if the things that we want when we are considering "the list" are realistic. The search for "the one" is bad enough, but to try and fit them to a list is ridiculous.

Interestingly, Mark does actually fit most of the criteria I had in my list. To me he is perfect, and now that I've got him around I find myself worrying that I will somehow break him as if he is a perfectly shaped porcelain teacup. I suddenly feel like I know nothing about being in a relationship and nothing about love. I feel like a clumsy child picking up very breakable objects and putting them in her pockets to get squashed when she starts running or riding her bike. Somehow I just don't think my care is good enough.

Saying that though, I know that I don't want to let go of this metaphorical porcelain teacup. I'm not going to lie: I could live without Mark, but that doesn't mean I want to. In fact, I hate the idea of not being with him in some way every day, and I miss him terribly when we're in different countries.

I guess what I've been trying to say in this post is that having all you want is great, but some of the things aren't as good as they seem. What you really need is someone who brings a mix of wants and needs. As well as this it's good to remember that having everything you want leaves nothing to strive for, and what's life without a challenge?