5 Hard Learnt Lessons From The Past Week

• You cannot assume that you know what another person is thinking. Mixed messages can be sent out by all of us, even those of us with good intentions.
  
• Buddhist concepts of impermanence, of non-self, the idea that everything changes from moment to moment and so there is no such thing as an unchangeable "I" or "Me" are important to remember. Especially in the realm of self-esteem. If you fixate on "I am this", "I am that" or "this thing makes me, me" and all the expectations that go along with those beliefs, then anything that doesn't fit that template can come as a blow.
  
• Consequently, feeling you have been judged and found wanting hurts like a bitch.
  
• As Mick said, you can't always get what you want.
  
• Don't try and have a serious conversation after 5 beers, particularly if you feel defensive or under attack. It won't go well.

So, thanks for the kind words and well wishes everyone but Pete and I were not meant to be it seems. It's frustrating to me that I feel like we never really got a chance to get to know each other, but it is what it is. It was a fun experience for most of it, and on one level it was a nice reminder that being intimate with someone is really, really nice. Who was the poet that wrote the line "Always connect"? It feels nice to connect, even if that connection turns out to be only temporary.