Memories

I was at lunch today, eating at Daphne's and just thinking to myself how good the gyro plate I was eating was. I suddenly became thankful. I was thankful that a friend that I had met when I first came out, introduced me to Daphne's. A slew of thoughts came pouring into my head about how I was thankful for each and every person I've ever dated. No matter how ugly things had ended, I've always walked away with something positive. It may be a bit late, as Thanksgiving was over a month ago, but nevertheless, I wanted to put this down in writing.

Alex introduced me to Daphne's. He also revealed just how naïve I was, coming out at the age 20, thinking that after going on a few dates with someone that he was suddenly my new boyfriend.

Joe taught me that a friendship can develop even after breaking up with someone. He showed me that if you are mature enough to talk things through, a friendship can still be formed. Two years later, we're still really close friends

Eddie taught me about romance; to this day, reading his stories on Xanga about what he goes through to surprise his special someone still inspires me.

Kevin showed me that I was a pushover, and that if I was ever going to survive out in the tough world, I would have to be blunt when the times called for it instead of trying to please everyone.

My most recent and longest relationship with Vince, conveyed to my exactly how my priorities had been laid out. The first and most important thing on my list was always academics and everything else fell afterwards. I realized that I would ignore everything around me to concentrate on doing well in school, even if that meant ignoring loved ones like my family and significant others. While that is a semi-relevant excuse, it's a cop out to some degree. I would use the excuse occasionally because I didn't want to put out that extra effort.

In the end, even if I had only been on a few dates with the people I mentioned above or if I was in a longer relationship with them, I learned from these experiences nevertheless. Despite whatever happened, I take only the positive with me, forgetting the rest; even when I let go, Karma never does. Taking away the positive aspects of these relationships has allowed to me to grow.