Before meeting my life partner, my history with romantic partners was rather nightmarish. My "picker" was broken, which meant my heart usually was too.
Several relationships were outright abusive but felt normal to me, as I was so abusive to myself. A few years into my recovery, I realized that I was worth a whole lot more than I'd been settling for previously.
I made a list of what I wanted in a partner, and I stuck to it. I found him at a Twelve Step convention, and we got to know each other as friends for six months before things got romantic.
That had never happened before, and I highly recommend it. I don't take for granted how fortunate I am to have someone who does life with me, takes absolute care of me, and reminds me that I don't have to do everything by myself.
We aren't perfect. We drive each other crazy at times.