DEAR ABBY: I'm a 67-year-old woman. I've been single all my life but now wish I could find a companion to share my later years with. My problem is, I'm not interested in a sexual relationship. I have never been good at the physical part of intimacy. As a result, I've had limited experience and not much luck with men. When I was younger, I had a reasonably healthy sexual appetite, but couldn't seem to do "the act" right, although I enjoyed the prelude.
My idea of a relationship now would be with a kind, supportive man who likes to dance and enjoy life, but who's OK with no sex. Is this a reasonable expectation at my age, or should I just give it all up? I don't even know how I'd go about finding such a partner without fearing I'd have to prove myself and experience more loss.
Incidentally, I had counseling years ago about other issues, and the strong possibility arose about childhood sexual abuse, but it was vague and not resolved. -- WANTING THIS BUT NOT THAT
DEAR WANTING: I can't guarantee that you will find a partner, but there is a website for asexual people that offers a lot of information as well as a way to connect with the rest of the "ace" (short for "asexual") community. Its members call it AVEN, which stands for Asexual Visibility and Education Network. It can be found at asexuality.org. You and many others may find it helpful, and I wish you luck in your quest to find a loving relationship.