Thanks for this post Fishmanpa, I see shades of myself in your experience. I ended my marriage in 1996 (I was 39).
When I met my partner in 2013 (I was 57), I couldn't believe I'd met someone so suited to me. We'd even had the same relationship difficulties in the past.
In the beginning of the relationship, I was waiting for the penny to drop (my stuff), but he consistently showed up as himself, a man of value.
Five years later (we moved in together last year), we're still growing and love being together and are looking forward to sharing the rest of our lives together
Lesley