Member-only story
“Good luck on the quest! It’s a jungle out here. Be gentle with yourself!”
November 8, 2023
Dear David,
I’ve been trying to figure out why I’m so threatened by the news you’re dating. I search my heart trying to understand why I feel this way. I don’t have to dig very deep. The answers are so near the surface.
It’s not the notion that you’re physically intimate with someone else. Jealousy of that sort has never been an issue for me. Of course, if I’m in an exclusive relationship, if there are agreements around fidelity, that’s a whole different story. But that doesn’t apply to us and hasn’t for coming up on six months.
You’ve become part of the fabric of my life. You’re part of my inner circle, one of my closest friends, someone with whom I’m transparent, someone who knows me intimately. That has always been what binds me to you, and I think what binds us to one another. We talk daily. We’ve established a rhythm. I like what we have. If I sense a change, I get anxious. I’ve made a commitment to our friendship, and I can never be certain if your level of commitment is the same. You’re not free with the sentiments, you’re not liberal with the affirmations.
It frightens me that you will become involved with a woman who requires you to give up your friendships with women or who is threatened by…
