There was a fair maiden who lived in a far away land. Her domain was surrounded with beauty as far as the eye could see, with mountains and trees and her own magical lake. The magical lake was unlike any had ever seen with it's crystal clear waters, and her reflection had shown in them just as they would in a great mirror. On the north side of the lake she would sit upon a smooth rock next to a cascading waterfall to gaze into the waters and seek the answers she needed. The maiden desired a man to share all of this beauty with, a man who was honest, open and pure of heart. The lake had told her that this man existed and would admire her qualities of honesty, intelligence, openness and creativeness. Days, weeks, months and finally years had gone by. She had courted many a man but none seemed to admire the qualities in her. When she thought she had found a man that would, she would bring him to the lake to see if the lake agreed. None of the men had ped beyond the day at the lake; they were either not true to her or to themselves. One day she walked down to the lake to clear her mind and hoped that she would find the answer she needed in order to find the man she had been seeking for so very long. She walked along the waters edge to the north side of the lake where she always went and climbed upon the rock to gaze into the crystal waters. As she went to sit down she was startled to see the crystal waters were no longer, they had become dull and blackened. She turned to look at the waterfall only to cry in despair to see the waters coming down looking as if someone was pouring black paint down them. She knew what had happened, she had locked herself away but how? Why? What do I do now? Suddenly she had an idea, she would go to see the oracle that lived on the other side of the woods. She ran to her barn, saddled her horse as quickly as she could and off they went through the woods, her trusty steed never second-guessing his stride. When she arrived at the oracles house, she jumped off her horse and ran to the door. As she approached, the door opened and the oracle said, "Slow down my fair lady, you need not be in such a hurry. This is not the end of the world, nor your life, you will only have just begun to live." The maiden was taken by surprise with this statement and thought to herself "What does she know about my life and what I have lived?" The oracle chuckled and told the maiden to sit down. The maiden sat down and the oracle said, "Now, tell me your troubles." The maiden explained the disappointing experiences courting men, then told her of what had happened with the lake and the waterfall. "I see." said the oracle. "You have become a person you are not. You have changed yourself to fit in with the rest of the world, instead of allowing yourself to just be you. I can only tell you this my child, you must find yourself and free your soul before you will find what you are seeking." The maiden felt confused, but she had to admit she did feel a little better. She returned to the lake with her horse and let him wander in the gr. She walked back to her rock and sat down upon it. As she sat there watching her horse eat the gr, she pondered all the things the oracle told her. As the sun started to set she no longer felt confused, she finally figured out what the oracle had meant. All along she had started to change who she was, piece by piece she stripped herself of her own ideny just to please others. She became infuriated with herself for doing this and thought "How could I do this to myself? I will not do this anymore, or ever again! If there really is a man out there for me then he will accept me just as I am. I will no longer be someone I'm not, I like being me." As she stood up, the lake began to clear and soon the sunset was reflecting on the crystal waters along with her reflection and the adventure of her life begins… She went back to the rock by the lake, and she thought to herself, "Does a man truly exist with all the qualities that I admire?" She chuckled a little "Isn't that the question of every woman in this world!" "So what qualities do I really admire in a man…first and foremost is that he must be honest with himself as well as others. He also must be open to sharing his hopes, fears and dreams. Intelligent in having the ability to hold a conversation and not an intelligence that just comes from reading a book, but from living life. Having the ability to envision things and have the mind to come to his own conclusions of them rather than what is considered the "societal norm". I believe non-conformity sums that aspect up rather nicely. He wants to share the journeys and adventures of life with a woman that is strong willed and refuses to give up on hope and dreams. He enjoys the outdoors and the wonders of nature and doesn't mind going on a spontaneous exploration through the woods, just for fun. He likes museums and appreciates the history behind the items it holds, whether they are artifacts from the past or works of art done by the most famous of artists or up and coming unknowns. He is curious and fascinated by history and what it holds. Is it all truth? Are there some half-truths? Is there any fiction thrown into any of it? What does it truly mean to you and does it have any effect on how things are today? He is pionate and compionate about life in how he lives it, and does not dwell in the past. She takes a deep breath and sends these thoughts to the four winds. "If it is meant to be, it will be and I will find this man if he does exist. Time is not important, I'm right where I'm supposed to be at this moment." She leaves her rock by the lake and waits to see if this man appears… Yes I changed my hair color...I got bored