[Fairygdmther]

Wormsie, you're still very young - I don't know how old your ex is, but if he is more than a few years older than you, he took advantage of your good nature. If he is about the same age, he may not have known better than to do that.

You are an attractive and intelligent young man with much to offer. While it is hard to do a realistic assessment of yourself, you do need to do this, to see that you are worthy of respect and love. Your relationship with your ex proved that someone out there CAN love you, and even if it didn't work out for both of you, there was SOME good to it too. Don't regret the time spent with him - it was a learning experience, and a good one. Now you know better what to avoid in someone you want to get close to and trust. But you also know what it feels like to be really close to someone else, and just how vulnerable that makes you.

Recently you said you were learning to hold your head up high - I was so glad to see that - that shows you are growing in self-respect. Don't let this break-up undermine that new-found self-confidence. Recognize that your own respect is what made you realize that he wasn't for you, and that you deserve better than that. We all continue to grow, day by day, and relationships can either help or hinder that growth. Find a guy you respect and who will respect you, and you will continue to grow into an awesome guy like Trep or Scott, who know what they want and recognize it when they see it.

Hugs,

Lynsie