Past Forward Please

We have all learned something, gained knowledge, been empowered and become stronger through our past relationships. Whether those relationships be with your lover, your mother, your father, your friend or your worst enemy. We have endured pain and setbacks but I guarantee some useful knowledge came out of it.

But somehow we tend to be affected more consistently on a daily basis by our lovers, our boyfriends, our significant others. The men who hold our self-esteem in the palm of their hands. The ones who make us smile, make us laugh, make us cry, break our hearts, make us drive in the middle of the night to a hotel room wearing dark sunglasses and a big hat, get on a bus to Maine with a migraine and start an unforgettable love affair. Ok maybe those last two were just me.

We forgive them for hurting our feelings and making us crazy. Because we crave passion and intensity. We crave love and desire. We let our hearts and souls sweep us way ahead of our brains and logic. Sometimes we do. It has happened to all of us and most likely will happen again. As for me, it's difficult for me to say no to my heart. I live my life honestly and passionately and it's difficult for me to deny what I am feeling in the moment. When I let a man get close to me physically, it's because I have already let him get close to me spiritually, in some way.

If you line all of my exes up, you wouldn't be able to characterize me as having a type. I have been dating since I was 16, so now I have dated men ranging from 17 to 52. So my experiences are varied and volatile. I have been with men who are afraid of commitment and men who welcomed it. I have met men who have offered me the world and given it to me and men who have only given me the very bottom from the boot of Italy. You can't let the bad weigh you down. You must look at it and say, what did I learn from this? And use it to your advantage. Becoming stronger and wiser is an incredible feeling.

Next post: Appreciating Your Past Relationships