the good ones

I got sent a review copy of this book and have been reading it. It's really good. The recurrent theme in all the essays is this: women, particularly creative women (and these women are all writers) seem to be drawn to dramatic, painful, ultimately fruitless relationships with dark, screwed up men. These same women find it difficult to pay any attention to the good, honest, kind, straightforward men right in front of them.

My response? Uh, yep.

I thought I realized this about myself after my divorce and vowed not to repeat this pattern. But then I did, to the nth degree. I could not have ORDERED UP a less suitable, more screwed up guy. But hey, he was witty and clever and wrote me beautiful letters and plays guitar awfully well. SHouldn't that be enough? Apparently not ;-)

But now I am seeing perhaps the finest man I've ever dated. This guy is an Eagle Scout. Literally! He is exceptionally kind and sweet and straightforward and good to me. I trust him. My friends and family - the ones who have met him yet -- really like him. And he has no weird hangups or dark skeletons in the closet.

Let's hope I don't totally screw this up, as I am prone to...