Ok. One more post about love, because bad things come in threes. ;) And then, back to Kirsten's rather mundane life and odd thoughts.

"I think love feels just like freedom. Why look at it as giving up anything?" - a friend, who IM'd when I was asleep (I never seem to catch you online, or I would've discussed this with you earlier. Anyway, here's my side - feel free to IM a rebuttal. I'd like to discuss this further.)

The way I see it: you give up independence, and invulnerability. The vulnerability comes when you care for someone else - sure, there's some of that involved in friendship, but not the same degree. And yes, a lot of the closeness in love comes from being vulnerable to another and accepted the way you are, faults and all - but the flip side is that, if you aren't careful, it gives someone an easy entrance to destroying you - confidence, happiness, everything. By the same token, you become dependent on that person for some measure of happiness, sometimes more than is reasonable... and I think I'm still fighting the remnants of that. When I can be completely happy, confident and whole for a while without wishing for someone else to share my life, then I think I'll be ready for another relationship. Given how I felt today, perhaps that's not so far off as I thought. (shrugs) We'll see.

Though I'll admit I sure would like a hug right now. (sigh) Red, I wish you were here. Or anyone else that I didn't mind asking for a hug.