Ah, Sophie, dear; good to read your words, as ever. Gentleness IS strength, surely. Every human I know has scar tissue over broken places and some share of troublesome baggage at the least of it. Neither are all of us equipped with the 'toolkit' to participate in an honest-to-goodness intimate relationship, either; quite a sad fact, that.

All the more reason to be kind and gentle with each other as mindfully as possible, I agree, most heartily. Not adding to the burdens of others while maintaining the integrity of one's self IS a high-wire acrobatic act in the 'dating' world, in particular! You're on your toes, impeccably balanced, and way out ahead on 'the game' by refusing to play into the 'set piece scripts' of others.

If we women seeking honest intimate relationships can't convince potential partners of their necessity for our + their own well beings, confusing them IS the best possible step towards learning, I do believe. Exercising the choice NOT to respond reactively and rotely from our own wounds isn't an easy thing!

You do it well: Bravo!

...

teehee, tada, tallyho,
an admirer

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