In Praise of Ex-Boyfriends

So as the song about the big yellow taxi goes "You don't know what you got till its gone . . . They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." I know it might sound weird but the last year of constant dating and the random cast of "odd" fellows I have met has made me appreciate my ex-boyfriends. I fully admit that at the time of the breakups with said various exes it is likely I would have declared them completely without merit and likely made fun of their frailties.

However, as time has passed and my experience with dating a wider range of people has grown. . .I realized I didn't really have it all that bad. While yes it is best that I eventually parted ways with them and no none of them was "the guy", they really on the whole compared to what is "out there" were actually in many ways exceptional. They were often smart, funny, accomplished, and caring and in general really good people. Even now I know if I really needed something it is likely that I could call them up and within reason they would help me out if they could.

I also feel with each boyfriend I get a little closer to knowing what I really want and each boyfriend tends to conform to that ideal a little better. While the space between the boyfriends also seems to be getting greater. . .I also think that this is mostly because I am less willing to go backward and to settle for relationships that are more flawed than those I have already had. So for Christmas this year. . .I guess I am giving myself a little hope . . .if I am lucky and the progress tends to continue then someday, somehow I will meet the guy for me and cure this chronic condition.