Names have been changed to protect the innocent

I hate break-ups. To put it simply, they just plain suck. I was discussing this with someone who is going through this right now. It's so strange to see nice people become jerks or asses or whatever word you use to describe stupid boys! (j/k - girls can be awful too) But ultimately, it's a personal journey between 2 people and they have to figure out the whys and the wherefores and move on. I can only hope that each person has learned something good from the experience.

So as always after a pretty deep conversation, I turned inward and thought about my experiences. I have made some dumb mistakes in my life. I have a failed marriage plus a few stupid relationships and one in particular that sent me to the psychiatric couch for almost a year. I have such a perfectionist streak in me that I tend to beat myself up over the mistakes and the failures. I know that I used to think that I was undeserving of these 'fabulous' people. I think I tended to give them too much attention, much more than they deserved. Now that I can look back on a couple of decades of relationships I am glad to say that I am much happier with myself. I can be alone and it's okay. I love being in a relationship when it's a healthy one. It's so important to be friends with your partner. I think that was a big deal with the last few disasterous relationships. We were not good friends at all. Thank goodness I can say that Mark is not only my boyfriend but my best friend. He is my rock and he's always there when I need him. That's what gets me through the bad times and makes the good times even better.