the straight dope.

As much as I think about saving the world, and getting people to be people again and not mindless drones, I think about something else alot. Relationships. Me finding a woman who could potentially be my wife. Someone told me that I'm not going to be happy until I'm someone's husband. That's partially true. Until I'm a husband and a father.
nope.

There is nothing in this world of ours that I don't have some sort of opinion on. I have thought out, well-supported opinions. I'm pretty confident I can hold my own in any arena. I'm a thinker: give me any amount of time time, and I can put it together.
Except when it comes to relationships. Good god, I have no idea.
There was a point when I studied relationships between people. Studied women.
It did absolutely no good.

Well, let me not say that. I did learn some things, I suppose. Nothing that has served me well over the course of these years. More along the lines of general at-the-bar-with-my-homeboys banter. I use it to give advice to other people, but I never know if it works. It doesn't for me.

I don't go for numbers. Over the course of my 23 years of living, I have probably attempted to deal with maybe 4 women. Maybe 5. Out of these 4-5, I made an all out effort for 2 of them. I mean, balls to the wall, nothing left, leave it on the floor, "I didn't leave anything for the swim back" effort.

Neither worked out as I planned. I learned from both though. About the evils of being selfish. How people can be from the same country and state, and speak two completely different languages. That first loves do not often last. How people are either, leaves, branches or roots, and your gunning for insanity if you can't tell the difference.

Leaves, branches or roots. Now a leaf chills on the tree, takes from the tree what it needs to florish and gives shade from time to time. They give a little sustanince to the tree, but not as much as they take. Even cast a little shade. But if the wind blows a little too briskly, they fall off.
Branches are a little trickier. They stick around a little longer than the leaves. Let a strong storm hit, and they hit the ground right next to the leaf. Alot more leaves than branches, so when they break away, it hurts a little more.

Roots feed the tree. Give it grounding in this world. Stick around as long as the tree does. The relationship is reciprocal. Neither feels slighted because what it taken is replaced. They will continue to feed the tree even if it is sick. Maybe only a couple of these ever in the course of a life. Take comfort in the fact that they are always there, until the tree isn't.

You can't blame a leaf for being a leaf, as much as you can't blame a cigarette for causing cancer. The problem lies in trying to make a leaf into a branch, or a branch into a root. God forbid a leaf into a root. Imagine using a Newport to heal a cut. It was never meant to.

You have to figure out what's on your tree. Not to prune it, but so you don't make the mistake of unrealistic expectations.

I'm lying a little. Sometimes you have to cut off some branches and pull off the dead leaves.Prune people out of your life. Not out of spite, but out of concern for your own well-being. No one really has to tell you how has to kick rocks and bop. Deep down, you know. Just have to follow your instincts.

That's the straight dope.