I once dated a woman who had Herpes.  And while they were just Cold Sores, I had to ask myself if I really wanted to be infected.

Ultimately, my love for her out weighted my Herpes fear and I was willing to be infected.  And while I was never infected, I was willing to take the risk just for her love.

And, while we are apart after all of these years, I am still madly in love with her and willing to take that risk.

And you?

Blessed are the self-righteous for they have already achieved perfection.  Always keep that in mind when you are dating people who view you in a lesser light.

For some people, everything is either black or white but no gray.  Unfortunately, most of life is gray.  Because of this, black and white people have a lot of trouble dealing with reality.

So, if you are not a black and white person but dating one, it will be a challenge.  And, if you are a black and white person and dating a black and white person, it could be a disaster if you don’t agree as neither of you will compromise.

When a relationship is finished, you need to have closure.  Closure is your way of accepting that the relationship is finished.  With out closure, you will hang on to the remotest possibility that the relationship will somehow be restored.  And, when this happens, your life hangs in limbo with no chance of moving forward.

When ever a relationship ends, there is always a certain amount of stuff that is left at your residence.  Some of it is left accidentally while some is left intentionally.  What ever the reason, the stuff must be returned.

Of course, just doing a dump and run is probably the least painful course of action.  You put everything into a couple of bags and leave them on her porch.  And, with any degree of luck, you won’t run into your former whatever.  But, if that doesn’t work, you will need to arrange for a drop off day and time.  But, regardless of the method, you need to get rid of her stuff if you ever hope to have closure.

When a relationship ends, there is always the question of what to do with the gifts that you have received.  Personally, if they are something that I could use, then I hang onto the gifts as long as they don’t have too much sentimental value.  But, if they are books that I never asked for or picture frames for that special moment in that special place, I get rid of them.

After all, this person has left my life so why would I want to keep a reminder of them?  So some goes into the trash, some goes to Goodwill and some ends up in a garage sale.  Of course, the danger of getting rid of the gifts is that you might reconcile in your relationship.  And, if that should happen, you might find your self having to give an accountability.  But, if you are sure that the relationship is finished. then dispose of the gifts in any manner that you see fit.

When ever a relationship ends, there is always the question about gifts that were given.  Or more specifically, should you return them?

Personally, if something was given as a gift then you should not expect to have it returned.  And I think that it is extremely rude to ask for a gift to be returned.  After all, if you really did not want the person to have the gift, then you should never have given it as a gift in the first place.

Women often like celebrating your birthday.  Unfortunately, whenever they say that want to make your birthday “special”, it usually means that they are getting ready to dump you.  And, because they are getting ready to dump you, they make extra efforts to please you on your birthday.   That way, you will think nice thoughts about them long after they are gone.  And, if you happen to receive a picture frame as a birthday gift, you can cut your losses and move on.

Women like to give guys books as gifts.  And, I always cringe when I get one.

When ever I get a book, this means that I have to read it whether I want to or not.  If she is giving you a book, it usually means that she has read the book and really liked it.  And, at some point in time, she will ask you if you liked the book and insist on discussing certain aspects of the book with you.  So, like it or not, you must read the book.

I often receive picture frames as gifts from the women that I am dating.  The idea is that we will find a special moment at a special event and have someone take a picture of the two of us together.  Then, we will each get a copy of the photo and prominently display it in our picture frame for all the world to see.

Unfortunately, that special moment at that special place never happens.  And, instead, they are usually gone within the next few weeks.  It is as if they want me to have a photo of them so that I remember the good times that we had together right before they dump me.  It apparently brings them a sense of closure to the relationship.  But, that photo never gets taken and I end up dumping the empty frame.