D. J. Turner Composition 25, March 2002 Be Careful What You Wish For           Has it been almost a year?  The time for self-pity is over, but the healing process had limited success.  Companionship is not necessary, but it sure beats being alone all the time.  Besides, life is much more fun when there is someone to share it with.  Mom always said, "Be careful what you wish for because it might come true."  Well I sure hope she's right.           If you're lonely, do a lot of soul searching.  Exactly what kind of companion are you looking for?  This process takes a lot of time.  Take the positive approach, not focusing on what you don't want, but instead what you do want.           The information age brings with it new tools and a safe way to begin the search process.  There's a web site called Match Dot Com on AOL that should do the trick.  This site is full of people looking for others to share their lives with.  Most Internet Service Providers have web sites for dating services, and the format is practically the same for each of them.           The first thing is to get on the Internet and look on the home page.  Find a dating service and access it.  Fill in the required information about yourself, and be very specific about the personality of the one you're looking for.  Be honest; the point, after all, is to eventually meet the person of your dreams. What good would it do if you were not the one to fulfill their fantasy?  The hard part is now over.  Browse around in the profiles and even "chat" with some people who are on-line at the same time you are, or just sit back and let the dating service do its job.  They will match your profile with those who are likely candidates in their database.  Once they have found profiles to meet your specifications, they will send an e-mail with a brief description of compatible people.  The service even calculates the percentage of compatibility of the two profiles!  Read through them; if one seems interesting, just click on the name and be taken electronically to a complete profile.           Notifying this person is safe also.  Simply pay a fee, and the service will mediate an exchange of messages without revealing either address.  When and if both of you feel it's time to meet face to face, pick a public place and see how it goes.           Success may not happen on the first attempt, but hang in there.  The rewards are absolutely worth the risk.  Just remember to be careful what you wish for because it just might come true.