A POX ON LOVE! So there!

Aw, but for Bobsmythhawk and duce, you guys are nuts! If I knew I would never be in love again, I'd politely ask for time off from work to go home and shoot myself!

I can't find the quotation, but I believe it was Robert Browning (note, a man) who proclaimed that while love seasons a man's universe, "love is a woman's whole existence".

I'm not excluding the possibility of a Grand Passion in my future--and any Grand Passion would be in the future since I'm presently loyally married. I am excluding the possiblity of a Grand Passion in which I feel incomplete when separated from the beloved; when I'm expected to put His needs before my own.

I'll consider being half of a twinned star, but I have my own glorious core of being and I'm damned if I'm revolving around any man as a planet.

Then please ignore my most recent proposal, Noddy.

Roger--

With your charm and wit you are a top candidate for a Wild & Passionate Fling.

Keep in mind, neither wit nor passion will inspire me to deal with your dirty socks.

Also, all of your Family Members with Quirks--either Interesting or Tiresome--are yours and yours alone.

I will be your Sargasso Sea, but you'd better have a good woman on the side to supply devoted pampering.

Ah, but Roger, my dear, I'm making a distinction between the lunacy of Noddy's "grand passion" & good ol' ordinary love!

Yeah!!!!
You are SO right, Noddy!

Rather ironic that this comes up now. My boyfriend and I "broke up" two nights ago. I use the inverted commas because the term only nominally applies.

I try to keep an open communication with my boyfriends and in this particular case we've always had good communication with each other. We've been dating approx. 5 months now. We decided that we feel our relationship has been more of a friendship with sex and decided that rather fussing with the formalised dating we'll just continue to be friends, continue to have sex and not worry about the rest of the traditions assosciated therewith.

So yeah, amusing that this thread co-existed with that event.

....

Basically what I meant is at the same time rather complicated and incredibly simple making it difficult to explain. I'll try though.

Society has expectations that go with relationships, giving flowers and going to dinners and so on. I try to do these as little as possible, though this in the end comes down to my partner's feelings on these matters. This doesn't mean that I don't spend alone time with them, just that instead of going out to dinner at some classy european resteraunt we could go play laser-skirmish or something. Doesn't mean I don't spend money on them but instead of buying flowers I might buy (for example) a poster of their favourite anime or whatever. In other words the kind of actions society expects from friends, rather than lovers.

Then there is the jealousy aspect. I've never cared in the least if my partner sleeps with someone else or multiple other people, their relationship with other people shouldn't influence their relationship with me. I don't understand why most people seem to mind, my (now "formally ex") partner and I have had an open relationship the entire time and while I haven't taken advantage of this we actually talk and discuss about the other people he's had sex with during the relationship.

Hmmmm, I'm sure there are other things but that's all I can think of at this moment and martial arts training yesterday has made my arm really sore so I'm going to stop typing here.

Many and varied are the habits of love.

And also the rabbits, god wot.

Eros acts and God wonders.

But if it works, it can't be too bad! :wink:

That's a most beautiful way to look at your marriage. Bob. I look at my former marriage in much the same way. In looking back, I wouldn't change a thing. To quote Garth Brooks of all people:

Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars alone
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance

Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have chanced it all

And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance

Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but I'd of had to miss the dance

I love this post and agree totally but couldn't put it half as well

Vivian--

Thanks for the kind words.