Hi everyone,

I am sincerely searching for the answer to the question in this thread's title. There is a part of me that knows happy, long-term relationships are possible but because I have hardly seen one in my immediate circle (family & friends) I'm not sure if this is a notion I have bought into because of social media.

I am 28 years old, and today, it dawned on me that perhaps I am now ready to be in a new relationship (after pretty much four years of willful singleness). I had a recent reconnection with an ex; we have a solid connection, however, two months into our reconnection questions about who he truly is and the decisions he makes regarding friends etc arose and made me realize us being together for the rest of our lives may not be the best idea. Prior to this revelation though, I did sincerely think things could work with him. I thought I was willing to take on a relationship with a not so perfect start (taking into consideration our history). Now that the desire to be with him is fizzling out, and I started considering the possibility of something new, I couldn't help but think 'what if things (disappointments, betrayals) like what we have been through are just destined to happen in every relationship, and people just stick it out?' I have thought before that I know people have communication issues and stuff like that, which is pretty standard, but how many people are in decades-long relationships and can safely say, despite everything, that they have always been 100% sure they wanted to be with their partners? How possible is it that I will meet someone wonderful and have a happy life together, with bumps along the way, but nothing that will shatter my heart into a million pieces? Or is that destined to happen, but as you get older you learn to deal with/get over it?