From past relationships...

I was completing a questionnaire not too long ago and one of the open ended questions I needed to complete was: "From past relationships, I have learnt...."

I immediately acknowledged that it was a pretty interesting question, and the more I thought about it, I realised that I had more answers. I have decided to write a tad about this in this current entry.... Here goes....

My original answer had started off as: "From past relationships, I have learnt that nothing is as it seems. Duplicity is far more common than I thought, and honesty is a rare gem."

After a bit of thought, I realised that it just sounded like a bittersweet answer lined with undertones of resentment, and I had comtemplated altering the answer to appear less hostile. But, as I had started to write, it occurred to me, that I was no longer writing what I thought; rather, it had turned into what an audience may prefer to hear. So I backtracked a bit, and returned to my original answer. What I chose to write after, has since remained without any further additions or editing.

This was the final answer:

From past relationships, I have learnt that nothing is as it seems. Duplicity is far more common than I thought, and honesty is a rare gem. And while I may initially face a relationship full of caution, I found out that my heart eventually takes over, and leaves me defenseless. Try as I can, I can't fight it because fortunately or unfortunately, when I love, it's with my heart and soul. Maybe it is a contradiction in terms, but I do think relationships can end amicably, and if a friendship can be salvaged, so much the better. Sadly though, I have also learnt that it's not a good idea to totally love somebody... because the end will always be the same - unwarranted heartache... It's far better to safeguard what's left of a broken heart rather than to leave it vulnerable to more pain.

~ Radica