It Ain't Me, Babe

I realized something about myself recently. In looking for a partner, there have always been things that I knew I couldn't deal with, like pedophilia, current drug addictions, baldage, or rap music, but something I hadn't given much thought to was work ethic. I mean, I'm a professional, but I don't care if a guy is blue-collar or white-collar, management or labor, under contract or self-employed. What I do care about is that he's employed. I seem to be meeting a lot of 'retired' or 'on disability' guys lately, and I just don't understand it. These guys claim to be 'retired' at age 46, and they don't mean just from their first or second careers. They sit around all day doing nothing yet they don't come to pick me up in a limo, so I'm sure they're not independently wealthy. I've heard complaints about the economy, excuses about industry, and one guy even came right out and said "I worked hard for 20 years; now it's my time to relax and enjoy life." Um, ok, I've been working for 30 years so far, with at least another 10-15 ahead of me before I can afford to retire. Even then, I'm sure I will keep my hand in by working part-time or volunteering, doing something to make a difference, I hope.

So now I have a new quality to add to my dealbreaker list: work ethic.