He was referring to casual dating, but the thing is, when it comes to relationships my thinking is horribly black and white. I have a lot of work to do - I'm honestly mystified as to why people date casually when they're not looking for something potentially serious. What's the point? Wouldn't it be less stressful and more fun to spend time with friends
Okay, so maybe it's for sex, but that's pretty emotionally fraught for me too. I'd be far too anxious to enjoy myself and I'd wind up feeling numb and used.
In fairness to him, he did back up, saying that I wasn't ready yet, but that a year was a long time...
Yeah, no. It's been over a year since I left the stbx. I know I haven't achieved everything I hoped to achieve last year. Far from it... Of course, I hit a lot of unexpected roadbumps and the divorce took a lot longer to get off the ground than I anticipated. I didn't do poorly, I did pretty good overall, but I'm lowering my expectations for the coming year. It already feels like a looming juggernaut

And you're right @@, the stbx would lose his **** if he found out I was seeing someone. That could get pretty hairy.

I guess, long story short. It does upset me. I think I would like to experiment with relationships, but I'm far too scared. I'd be afraid that if I got in I wouldn't be able to get out before it's too late. I know exactly what it feels like to be trapped in a relationship, and exactly how hard it is to break away. I'd be playing with fire. I'm practically a beacon for manipulative jerks with the neediness that I currently keep under wraps...