I gather you &amp; your sweetheart from 1994 have ...

I gather you & your sweetheart from 1994 have split? If so, shake hands with a fellow ostracized victim of unlucky love.

Took myself off the market because of attracting a long string of takers who preyed on my kindness& openness as a weakness.

I've also been screwed over by just about every immediate family member - what's left when you can't trust family?

I've pretty much had to depend on myself and shut my emotions in a shell of bitterness for the most part - not a seething bitterness, but more like a leary type of bitterness.

I guess the best advice I can give out with is not to bend & compromise - it may not help find you romance, but it will earn you (like it has for me) some respect.

Been reading your blogs for the better part of the past 6 years and, emotionally, I feel like you & I have traveled similar paths. Just stay true to yourself, be confident in that and know that, if nothing else, due to my presence, you're not alone. :)