Just wondering why...
As I said in my original post, I've never really had a girlfriend. This limitation makes a younger woman more desirable for several reasons. The first is that there are many experiences that others take for granted that I've never had. Before I'm ready to be in a family with children, I'm going to need quite a bit of "just us" time both to enjoy the relationship but also to get used to being in a relationship. A younger woman is in a better position to give me this time before she has children. The second is that a younger woman is more likely to be closer to my experience level. She's less likely to have a "been there, done that" attitude about the whole thing. A third reason is that I've never had a relationship with a woman in that age range, and I think it would be nice to experience.
To a large extent, the whole question is irrelevant. I no longer believe that I will find someone who will be right for me. I try to position myself to have some chance, but I believe that chance is so small as to be almost non-existent. I don't close the door to women who are outside my preference range. In fact, almost all of the women who've been close to me as friends over the years have fit the profile of what other people think is right for me and not what I want for myself. Some of them have been very good friends. I've enjoyed having them as friends, but I'll never have the slightest romantic feeling for any of them. I don't close the door on what other people think I should have, but if I'm going to choose, I'm going to go where I have a chance of finding what I want and not what they want.
Bill