As the saying goes, nobody has ever gone to their grave wishing they had worked more...except maybe slackers;)

Still...my point is that there are probably more than one person out there just for you, but I suspect taht the mixed bag o' feelings that you're hauling around re: love and relationships is kinda acting as a wall or barrier against their interest. Though yinyang is correct in that romantic love, while wonderful and powerful, does not solely run the world. Just let things happen with family and friends. You never know how things will work out there...though hopefully with a friend. Consanguinity, while a religious concept, is one of the few things I agree with Catholics about;)

BEB

P.S. If she invites ya to the wedding, I suggest going...though maybe after some hard thought. If you're friends with her and she wants you there, then a friend takes the hit for the greater good. Never know...might be a female Wedding Crasher there for you:D

I am totally with you on this one, Steamer. Love is pretty much the most difficult of all human emotions. And you're right, there's no guarantee that you won't get hurt in a relationship. No matter how nice your partner is, there's always a chance that they'll leave you in the end. I went out with a guy who abused me emotionally, wrecked any self-esteem and romantic hope that I had for the future, and made me have serious trust issues with everyone around me. It's been almost a year since then, and reccently I'd been told by a reliable witness that one of my friends intended to ask me out. He's a really sweet person, and normally I'd be ready and willing to be his girlfriend, but I was scared as hell of becoming attatched to him and losing it all in the end. I sought advice, and my best friend said something along the lines of "You have to take a chance and dive in. Sometimes you hit your head on the bottom, but it's worth the risk." So I'm going to give it a try. The point is, you have to trust your feelings and follow your instincts because they might result in pain, but they may also turn out to be great. So please do me a favor and don't give up yet, alright? Look at you and your college buddy- your relationship went sour, but you're still good friends.

ok big HUGS and you know what, I know someone who met the love of her life when she was 62 and they're getting married in August...so hang in there!

Obviously, you're having some conflict between yourself; the negative and the positive parts, much like the name of the other person who commented on this. You say you've given up on love, (the negative, dark, conscious part of yourself) yet you feel regret and disappointment because you haven't found it (the unconscious, positive part that yearns for something you've 'given up on').

You've definitely got some stuff to sort out, but the best advice for now would be to listen to Yinyang: not all love is romantic, and romantic love isn't the force that keeps the world spinning.

with vague words,

-O/J

::hugs::

I guess I'm in a similar boat - I don't want to date (because I haven't found anybody suitable and I don't think romance is the be-all end-all to life). But, that doesn't mean I still don't feel bad about having never been asked out.

Please don't give up on love. Just find the kind that's all around you, with your family and friends, and appreciate that. And, maybe someday, one of those friendships will turn into something else. I can't say that it will, or that romance will find you, but you gotta live through the hurt somehow (until it gets so small it may as well not even exist), and what better way then with friends?

::shrugs::