When one door closes...

A few weeks ago I told you that I was pleasantly surprised when my ex-boyfriend asked me to go golfing with him. Actually, that invitation wasn't completely out of the blue. We had been having some good talks and had gotten together the previous Saturday too.

I won't lie. I was thrilled about getting a second chance with him. And I was crossing my fingers that maybe, just maybe, the sun the moon and the stars would all line up on my behalf, and things would work out between us after all.

But once again (as of yesterday) it's over.

Yeah, I'm disappointed. He is a good man. And that's all that I'll say for now. (What do you expect? You and I, we hardly know each other - of course I'm going to put on a brave face.)

One thing I will say, though, is....Wow, what a great guy he is to break up with! I mean that sincerely. I think that you can always tell a lot about a man's character by the way he handles the ending of a relationship - and he passed with flying colors. I'm grateful, because the healing process usually goes so much faster when the dumping has been a good one.

And I know what I'm talking about because I have been dumped badly a few times. What do I consider a bad dump? Well, one boyfriend ended a three-month relationship by phone, with very little explanation, just two weeks after the words "I love you" came from his lips - and then he refused to see me again. How does one go from "I love you" to "I never want to see you again" in just two weeks? I was heartbroken for a long time over that one.

Second bad dump: five-month relationship, ended by phone, during a time when a (very) close family member was in the final stages of terminal cancer. Like the other guy, I never saw him again after that phone call (his decision). No broken heart this time - but his name definitely left a bad taste in my mouth for a while.

But I don't want to dwell on that. I prefer to remember the good endings. Two men that I've dated were especially great at it. My most recent boyfriend, of course - and one other man who shall also remain nameless. (But if he reads this, he'll know I'm referring to him.)

Are you in the market for a new boyfriend? Too bad that I can't find a way to pass these two wonderful gentlemen along to you - they both come highly recommended! The great thing is that even if the relationship doesn't last very long - at least you can count on a lovely ending... :-)

They say that when one door closes, another opens somewhere. Yeah, I know it's cliche. Just like: "Everything happens for a reason." But I don't care. I'll take my comfort anywhere I can get it.

So - I guess I'm single again! That's not such a bad thing. Wish me luck...