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Child-like Curiosity

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Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
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  • #53607
    cherrymom
    Participant

    Wow. Checking in during a very interesting week. I’m sure many of you remember my posts about my now ex-boyfriend and the breakup that happened just 3 days ago. I must be doing something right, because instead of hurting… I’m calm, cool, collected and very relaxed. I also have this almost child-like curiosity about the whole thing. It’s like my mind is processing the million questions that I have at this point in an effort to seek to understand, so that I may be able to move on with my life in the most positive way possible and avoid mistakes in the future. It’s amazing… Especially since the time we broke up before this we were both completely sleep deprived for weeks and having serious anxiety attacks. I honestly have no idea how he is doing right now or what is going through his mind. I hope that he is okay. But it’s not for me to know, as we have a long way to go before we figure out if we can just be friends as we had both expressed an interest in being.

    My mind is just spinning with questions though. It’s not like these are going to change anything…. though the questions popping into my mind are constant and unrelenting. Why could I never get him to leave the safety and comfort of his home to do things together just as a couple? Why did he avoid meeting me to talk when we broke up until he felt he had no other choice? (I had asked him to meet me then cut off contact). Is he really so detached that he feels like he can never love again? Is he afraid to connect with anyone again after losing what he thought was the perfect relationship (with another girl, one he had a stronger connection with than he knew was possible) a few years ago? How far would this have gone if I had been content to keep it casual? Did I make him happy? Did he truly make me happy? How will this work as friends if we are barely able to communicate? What happens next? How will his child react to all of this? Was this all about sex and not much more? Should I have put my foot down and told him that he needs to date me the last time around, rather than jumping back into a relationship? Why did he make me his girlfriend again if this wasn’t going anywhere? Was that supposed to be for my benefit or his? Why am I even questioning all of this?

    Congratulations to the men reading these posts in the forum… for that right there is the female mind at work.

    I’ve also been working on my own issues lately. I’ve been thinking about the type of people I tend to attract in life. Not the shallow, the soccer mom, the narcissist…

    First group is the rare people that manage to gain a level of trust with me very quickly. I feel safe with these people very quickly… and tend to feel safer to withdraw into my own little world (I am a pisces after all… I could swim in my little fantasy world for months and be totally ok with that). I wish these people drew out more of my personality, but sadly I guess this is something I need to change in myself. These are the people I keep. That I feel bonded to on a level that I can’t communicate. People like him.

    The second group is the people who do draw me out of my shell. I feel totally alive with these people, but I don’t tend to bond to them for long, as it seems to take a sociopath/someone really looking for something to gain something to do this. Every time I meet someone that pulls out the most of me, I end up hurt very badly in the end. Every time. My ex was the longest running second group I ever stayed with. As you can see, the experience scarred me for life. I met someone else like that just after my divorce… He turned into a stalker that threatened my life.

    I wish I could open up more to group one. I really do. Because those are the people I cherish… but my emotions get the best of me, and I’m so afraid of losing them that I end up in a holding pattern with them… walking on eggshells. Paralyzed. Not knowing why or how to fix it.

    I’m slowly figuring out what makes me tick and what I can do to change all of these patterns in myself. How to make it all come together. How to finally be the woman I really am… and get what I want out of life. If I had a dollar for every time someone said I am the perfect woman but they never fell in love with me… Geez. I’m seeking to understand so I may one day be understood and truly loved the way I need to be. Especially now, it’s springtime… I see all of these happy couples & people having babies & getting married… They have something I have never had. That thing. That love. They glow together. I want to glow too!

    I’m meditating, practicing (beginner) yoga as I have time, focusing on work and spending time talking with friends about anything possible *other than* the breakup & the guy. I’m really trying here. It seems to be helping & my thought process is becoming clearer each day. Just call me the comeback kid. Hopefully this stays on the positive end and I don’t have a relapse. Of course… it is easier that we have not interacted since the breakup, except at work. Which is not in person. Thankfully. I’m great at separating work from my personal life.

    Sheesh. Mind blown.

    #53667
    Chad
    Participant

    Dont deny yourself grief, its a pivotal part of getting over a loss and moving on. Its instinctual to run from perceived dangers even the emotional ones, naturally we dont want to feel bad or deal with painful situations. However dealing with them now will prevent you from dealing with them later.

    I understand the ruminating questions about what it all meant, what was it really. I suppose we will never know their side, or their truth, we can only know ours, what it was to us and what it meant to us. However try your best from getting to stuck on needing answers you more than likely will not get from this person. Sometimes accepting this will never occur is the only closure we can get.

    Good on ya’ for keeping calm and being able to reflect in an objective way, even if you do “relapse” its just a process it will be over with one day.

    #53672
    cherrymom
    Participant

    Thank you Chad 🙂 I think I have it all figured out and I’m ready to let this run its course and move on. All of those questions, I realize now, don’t mean a thing. I simply cannot be attached to an emotionally unavailable man. I see now how that has stopped me from being my true self around him, as I simply cannot live with the feeling of being unloved in a relationship. I can’t fix it, I can’t talk to him about it… it’s a thing he must truly discover and defeat on his own. And I hope that he does someday. I’d really like for him to be happy, even if it is not with me. Years from now whether it is meant to be or not is in the hands of fate. All I can do is keep my distance and keep working on me. Even if it may be a little difficult working together and being linked together in so many ways in our daily lives. I refuse to contact him, instead I’m focusing on other things that make me happy. It’s the best I can do, and I think the best solution.

    #53712
    cherrymom
    Participant

    Working my way through a weak moment today… It’s never easy suddenly not having someone in your life at all. And when both parties cease contact in unison… it leaves an empty space. The other two breakups with this man, he checked on me to make sure I was okay. This time, nothing. I know I need to let this run its course… and that I am probably just feeling a little bit out of sorts with my children gone for the weekend… But it doesn’t make me any less stunned. It makes me feel like he was really, totally done trying. And makes me wonder if he is going to try to be friends at a later date at all.

    #53716
    Maja
    Participant

    Dear cherrymom, do not worry. Everything is going to be OK. Relationships are sometimes gone and we can not change the flow. It is sad for a while, but time is the best healer. You’ll see. 🙂
    I wish you that he will be friends with you later. We can’t have enough friends in our lives, so hopefully he stays your friend for ever and ever 🙂
    Keep working on yourself and keep focusing on other things that make you happy. This is the right way. Wish you all the goodness possible. Be happy.

    #53749
    cherrymom
    Participant

    Thank you Maja for your beautiful and thoughtful reply 🙂

    #53936
    cherrymom
    Participant

    It’s still hitting me. I should have known it would not have passed so easily. I feel lost and I have no motivation this past two days to do the things I enjoy, or the things that I need to. I know better, but I feel like I’m always going to be the little girl sitting in the window waiting for her daddy to arrive… waiting forever. Waiting for the most important man in my life to show up and show me that he wants to fight for me. This really brought up some past feelings from my father who passed away this year that I barely know, and my marriage. And not knowing if my new ex is keeping distance to respect my wishes and allow me to heal and move on… or really just doesn’t care… or is hurting. I know it’s not for me to know. But still, I’m a girl, I wonder. So much silence. Fear of the unknown. Memories of the past. Not a fun combination to have to allow to work through my system so I can find some peace. 🙁

    #53959
    Cameron
    Participant

    I have the same feelings as you cheerymom. I’ve also been wondering if he just doesn’t care or is hurting. But after reading your posts, a though suddenly came into my mind. Maybe he’s trying to work on himself as well just like you’re working on yourself.
    When my ex broke up with me, I decided to cut the contact coz I know very clearly that keeping contact with him would only slow down the process of me working on myself. I’m grateful and hurt at the same time that he doesn’t contact me either coz part of me want him to contact me and see if I’m ok so I know that he cares. Another bigger part of me know if he contacts me, all my hard work of working on myself will just crumble in an instant.
    I know I’m not strong enough to see him, contact him or hear from him. I think it’s the buddha’s way to protect me from getting further hurt.
    It’s a very difficult journey especially when there’re so many things I have to look after (work, study, eat…etc.) and the only thing I want is for him to say to me, “I’ll be here when you need me.” But the reality is, he can hardly look after himself, how can he look after me?
    If I need someone to lean on to, that person has to be a solid rock, not a moving object. Unfortunately, he is still floating and he has no clue what he wants.
    I wish you all the best cherrymom. We’re in the same boat and I feel for you.

    #53964
    cherrymom
    Participant

    Thank you for your reply Cameron.

    Wow what a day. He contacted me finally today. He sent an email that said that he was giving us space for emotions to simmer down so we don’t end up in the same situation again, and that his daughter is having a hard time with everything and asking for me, and also that he hopes that we can just be friends and find a spot in each other’s lives that way… as well as mentioning that the last two weeks have been extremely difficult for him as he has had so much going on. I don’t know how to handle it yet. Especially because I’m feeling just as Cameron was above. I don’t want to abandon his daughter. She thinks of me as her mother. None of this was my intention. Now it’s making this all feel like a divorce…. A much less painful than the real thing divorce, but you know what I mean.

    I finally broke down and told him we would need to schedule some time to speak about how to deal with issues with his daughter moving forward.

    #54402
    cherrymom
    Participant

    I have to see him today for the first time since all of this happened. I had to help out and take his dog for the weekend. This is going to be tough. He’s been reaching out and texting and calling this week. He says he’s really happy that we are able to talk like we do after everything and that he still wants me to be a part of his life. He also says he does think about us an awful lot. But he’s still in we need to be friends mode, and I’m still totally unsure and on the fence and hurting through this process. This week has been tough. I’ve been entirely too open with him this week, as we have also communicated by email. I suppose it’s closure and just needing to be sure I’ve been my honest and true self. I think I’ve honestly said all the things that I needed to say. Still…. it’s all different when you’re face to face with that person. So today, I get to attempt to keep my composure, then go straight back to work after lunch with all of this on my mind. Yikes.

    #54473
    cherrymom
    Participant

    I saw him. It was confusing but really kind of nice at the same time. He stayed a while, and kept hugging and holding me. He kissed me on the cheek and we chatted for a while, not about anything serious… Just enjoyed talking and spending time together. He was squeezing me so tight when he was holding me. He genuinely thanked me for helping out this weekend and told me how much he appreciates me. Then after a while he said he was having a little trouble with self control and it was time to go home. I agreed. I know in my heart nothing else can happen without a real and genuine relationship attached to it. It was hard but nice… because I could feel how much he cares radiating in every touch and movement, every look he gave me. The hard part is knowing without being told that deep down he does not feel he has enough to offer me, and that he is just not ready to open up yet. I hope his own journey takes him to special places and reawakens him. Still, it’s nice to have that moment and know for sure that there’s someone out there that thinks about you fondly. I’m also proud of myself for exhibiting such self control. I was just my charming self, in the moment, and commanding nothing but kindness and respect.

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