Yea, phlashback! You know, it puts to mind WendyAussie's post Keeping Our Hearts Open. It is so hard, yet the rewards can be great. Just being able to put oneself out there and trust that maybe, just maybe something good can come is a big accomplishment.
(I got a lot of the "be careful" warnings too. I said I would, but also realized that if I didn't at least try, the same old nothing would happen, you know?)