Home→Forums→Relationships→Wise or Foolish
- This topic has 3 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 2 months ago by Amby.
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October 21, 2013 at 8:19 am #44068AmbyParticipant
Hi im writing this to somehow make sense of my life. As much as i’d apreciate any and all advice in some ways just typing this topic is cathartic. My question deals with matters of the heart. I’ve recently turned 21 this past summer on 6/11/13 and subsequently met this great guy cute and funny we had a uncanny amount of common interests and likes. Sp ,What could be better, he is also 27 divorced a year ago and has been in a series of short lived relationships within that year, 1 of which before he was even legally seperated or divorced. Meeting this man was still incredible i had grown up a very overweight kid and had recently lost about 60 pounds, i made myself over and I finally felt confident, i was getting a lot of attention and for once in my life i felt like me. When he started talking to me i was on cloud nine he lavished me with compliments and would always tell me how beautiful, i was and how awesome i was his words, he made a point of pointing out anything we had in common in conversation. I always had this nagging feeling though that it was too good to be true. Within a week of knowing me he wanted to buy me flowers he constantly messaged me or wanted me to call him. He told me about his plans to save for a bigger home how he wanted to get married next year. I started to feel afraid i thought his feelings were so intense too early on i thought he did’nt know me well enough to share all of this with me. He talked about how he thought my parents would be great in laws, I once told him i enjoyed baking he told me i’d get along really well with his mother she loves baking and could teach me a few things. I could’nt help feeling that he really wanted to be married, which is not to say that i never want to get married but i wasn’t so sure i was ready at 21 and i was also afraid that because he wanted to be married so badly he did’nt really want me or rather he wanted somebody not someone special i kept getting this feeling he was trying to convince me instead just letting a attachment/love grow naturally. My family and friends felt he was too old for me that i didn’t have enough life experience and that i wasn’t ready to be in such a serious relationship. I’d be lieing if i said their opinion didn’t wear me down, I intially told him i needed things to slow down, however i wasn’t sure if he could do that. My parents continued to confront me about him, until eventually just talking to him made me feel guilty. Like i was doing something wrong so i ended up asking him one day do you like me so much because your lonely. To which he replied was defiantly part of it but he also talked about how he thought i was a lot of fun and i always had a smile on my face and the thought of being with me made him happy. I still had this nagging concern that he was romantizing me i don’t know if that was my own insecurity or if that was actually true but i kept feeling like he was still reeling from his divorce and although i knew he had feelings for me and i likewise i felt like maybe both of us needed time me to work on coming into our own me overcoming my own obstacles with weight and anxiety, him becoming happy with himself and instead of looking to a relationship to make him happy. So i thought we’d cool if off for a while abt a year or so and see where we both were and pick back up then. Reading this though i feel stupid like maybe i was just looking for something that wasn’t really their. Anyways within a few weeks of us slowing things down no texting calling but we still hung out and we run in the same circles so we saw each other every week. This past week i see that he has a girlfriend. Ever since i’ve been awash with all these emotions about how stupid i am to let him get away about how i missed my chance. How I missed out on this great guy who would have been perfect for me. I thought by letting things go i was making a wise descion not getting caught up in emotion but now i’d do anything for another chance with him. So My question Wise or Foolish, Mature or Immature, Smart or Dumb? I feel like I missed out on the love of my life…………..I feel like i should have held on talked to him more about how i felt I guess now it doesn’t really matter because its over how do i live with this feeling i still have to see him on a regular basis I just want to be ok.
October 21, 2013 at 3:42 pm #44103MattParticipantAmber,
I’m sorry for the blow you’ve taken to your self esteem lately, its odd how insecurities crop back up even after we find our stride. He sounds like a grade-A clinger, and perhaps its good that you stepped away. The age thing isn’t really a thing, but the “fast hard fall” is not a good sign, especially the way you described it.
It probably only seems like such a “once in a lifetime” thing because of your tender and fragile self image. You lost a bunch of weight, and the “unattractive fat-girl” pattern of mind still has some power. Said differently, perhaps because you spent so long feeling icky about yourself, the emerging of good feelings got tied into the man. Especially because he came across so thick and sweet, your hungry confidence grabbed onto it as food. Now that he’s gone, the food is gone.
Give yourself more credit than that. You’ve come a long way, dear sister, and even more than the weight being gone, the confidence and momentum of a healthy life is very alluring to men, and you have plenty of time to find someone who sees and loves you. Even moreso, you have plenty of time to shop around and find out what you like, what makes you happy, what inspires your heart to song. Let your confidence grow, let your self love reach deep into your own heart. That way you wont settle for something less than you deserve. Consider that the guy you broke it off with is perhaps “romance hopping”, which isn’t really love, its entertainment, nourishment. Its not surprising that he jumped to a new girl, a new toy. You deserve waaaay better than that.
With warmth,
MattOctober 21, 2013 at 5:23 pm #44117LindsayParticipantMy vote is definitely for WISE. I get that you are feeling this “what if” pang of fear and regret. I do that too. But it’s all fantasy, make believe. In reality, you didn’t trust him. You saw red flags everywhere you turned and you were smart enough to listen. Perhaps it is different with the new girlfriend, or maybe she just isn’t smart enough to listen to the red flags that keep cropping up, or maybe she romanticizes relationships like he does so they are playing the same little game, who knows.
You sensed something was off. You listened to your intuition. I say well done! There is someone out there who will love and appreciate the real you and will take the time to get to know you and gain each others trust.
October 21, 2013 at 7:41 pm #44120AmbyParticipantThank you Matt and Lindsay, I really appreciate the kind words. I agree the
what if plagues me, was I too hasty , too critical, how I can I dislike someone for liking me too much. The problem was he didn’t seem interested in knowing me just being with me. Seeing him moved on so fast makes me feel hurt like I missed out on my chance at being in a relationship. But I think thats the old insecure me ill find someone who will love me in my own time not pressure me for a commitment, after a month or so of knowing me. Thank you for quieting some of my unruly thoughts and helping me to see that my feelings aren’t entirely unfounded. Im going to do what you said matt continue to love myself and to give myself credit I don’t have to settle. Thank you both I will always cherish your responses they do not go unappreciated im sure you took time out of your busy schedules to help a stranger and I truly value that. Thanks again, you’ve helped me sleep tonight – Amber -
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