that we're all human, we're all struggling, we're all trying to grow up (no matter what our age is). Adult human relationships are just about the most mysterious and challenge-filled things in the world. Every person has more room to grow, and in my experience, it's actually rather rare to find someone who consciously wants to be insincere in relationships. Usually a tendency in that direction indicates that the person has had one or a series of hurtful relationships (romantic, friendships, family), or hasn't had any good examples of how to treat others the way they would like to be treated.

Now I'm not saying that it's appropriate to allow yourself to stay in a relationship in which your self esteem or your physical welfare is endangered. But we do have to ease up on our partners a bit. Not everyone can see all the way down the road at all times, not everyone is completely clear about their motivation at every moment, and people just do dumb things when their heart is at stake.

And unfortunately one of the best ways to learn how to make a relationship work is to TRY to make it work. But "try" implies "fail sometimes," right? Otherwise I would have said, "the best way to make a relationship work is to make it work."

So as long as we trust that our partners are trying, and as long as we are not endangering our hearts or our health, we have some of our best opportunities for spiritual and emotional growth by practicing understanding and forgiveness side by side with another person. (And remember that the other person is going to be practicing understanding and forgiveness with you, too. And don't even get me started on the word "trust").

Peace.

~ ~ ~
All meetings end in separation
All acquisition ends in dispersion
All life ends in death
- The Buddha

|\_/|
='_'=

Every hundred years, all new people