I don't believe in you. And me. But do in me.

I challenge you to take a look back at your fondest relationship. Or at the very least, the one you thought was so great at the time that it was supposedly so great. Still great? I highly doubt it. Friendships are similar to relationships, in that, most have a time and a place. But few stand the test of time.

I cringe at the thought of a previous fling I had not too long ago. What the hell was I thinking? Was I in a moment of sheer desperation? How embarrassing. Looking back at a more serious past relationship, however, although I can't argue neurosis, I can say that both time and memory have made it harder for me to quantify or recognize the level of greatness that once was. More importantly, and attempting to bring the memory to present day as best as possible, I ask myself, would that person play a role in my life had I met him today? I think he would. BUT, not in the same way he did 5 and 12 years ago (marking both the end and beginning of.)

My guess is he still has the same witty sense of humour and our compatibility and ability to communicate will still be there if our paths somehow crossed again. What comes to mind as I ponder is the movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The theme I remember most from the film is 'would you do it all over again if you knew the final outcome; would it be worth the heartache in the end?' Perhaps this is the real reason why I argue the relationship 5 years ago wouldn't be the same now. I already know how it ends. This changes my perception of the relationship - completely altering the course from beginning to end. The person at those end moments reflects something that never revealed itself in the thickness of bliss. Sadly, it's generally these moments we're left to remember, and we often walk away from the relationship with these left open/open-ended questions to contemplate:

Is this the real person, of whom I never quite knew? Was I only fooling myself to think he/she was this amazing person, a seemingly perfect fit? Yes and no. Yes and no. The answers will never be concrete. Coincidentally, the questions aren't either. It's probably best to stop asking. Maybe it's more apt to ask these questions when we're in thick of it, not after it's said and done. In poor taste and proving ineffective time and again, we tend to glamorize people, particularly, our current fling; a guilty charge I'm willing to admit - which brings me back to my original point. This past fond relationship, minus the sour ending, had its moments of greatness, but if I'm entirely honest with myself, I can distinctly say, the relationship is meant to stay in that time, and in that very place. It was never meant to stand the test of time.

Convincingly, experience, growth, the human spirit, and even those embarrassing flings, teach people a thing or three - Namely, this is what works and this is what doesn't - the two lessons that conceivably matter most. Lesson number three: nostalgia lies a lot.