Boy, the difficulties in finding a compatible partner are huge. Most of the folks that I know, who've reached 40 and find themselves solo, but open to a partnership, are knee deep in a dilema. They may not be exactly sure what they want in a significant other, but they sure know what they DON'T want. It becomes a question of just how much you're willing to compromise even before a relationship can start. Things like personal politics, religion, and general lifestyle choices are just so much more important now than they would have been at 20, 25, or even 30. The bottom line is we are all given certain qualities with which to engage in barter with the opposite (or same) sex. Some have physical beauty, some, great dispositions, some lots of money, some, a great talent at something. (The folks with ALL of those, tend not to be bothered with folk music anyway, so screw 'em!) When you start throwing in age restrictions, you're just making a difficult situation even harder. Remember, the ONLY people who care about the age thing are relatives and the odd friend. Same with religious differences. I lived with a woman less than half my age (40 - 19) for a couple of years, and other than a bit of self-consciousness on my part when I'd be around her parents (who were about 5 years older than me) 'twas a good relationship. Some of my friends thought it was scandalous (and I heard the term cradle robber occasionally) but obviously they didn't know hard it was to find someone who:

A. Loved folk and classical music

B. Was exceptionally well-informed, had a killer sense of humour, and had OPINIONS.

C. Felt the same way I do about animals (without being a vegetarian)

D. Could tolerate me.

(the big issue we had was children.. I would not have wanted to change her mind on that score, and mine had been made up for many years.)

Who cares about a few years either way?

Rick