So in one of my periods of deep introspection, I came to a realization about one of the things that makes me so eager, almost desperate, to find love sooner rather than later.
It has to do with attraction and aging. I'm 32 and right now my attraction toward the opposite sex falls right in line with that age, with range of plus or minus 7 or 8 years. I'm fine dating younger or older, because when one is in their 20s, 30s and 40s, they are relatively the same, in terms of aging.
What scares me is, what if my attraction level does not change as I grow older? What if, when I'm 40, I'm still attracted to 20s and 30s, but not up to 50? And when I turn 50, what if I'm still attracted to younger people, but not people my age, because by then they DO look older?
See, I'm scared that if I don't find someone now, someone with whom I can gradually grow old, so the transition in her appearance doesn't startle or cause my love to dim, that the window of opportunity will narrow simply because I am not attracted to a 60 year old when I am 60, in the same way that I would be attracted to a 30 year old when I am 30?
Does what I write make sense? And given that, what is everyone else's experience? Does it only get harder to find love as one gets older? Or can I expect my attraction to adjust with my age, so that if I am still single at 50 or older, there might still be hope that I could find a satisfying union with someone of that age? Or once you get to a certain point, are you more or less screwed, because the people who are age appropriate are not attractive, and the ones who are, are NOT age appropriate?