[Elspode]

Ducks, it sounds to me as though you are afraid of being hurt, and so you push them away to make sure that you don't.

I get this totally. I know that my own tendancy to hold people at arm's length has cost me an awful lot of meaningful experiences in life, especially with those who should mean the most to me.

Hurt and pain are a part of who we are as humans. The more you love and trust, the more things hurt when stuff isn't quite right.

Until we learn that true love involves pain, that gaining experience involves us accepting things that hurt us, and finding out how to absorb those experiences, grow and live...we aren't truly alive.

So take a risk. Open up, let things flow. If they don't work out, you'll learn. The pain won't kill you. And you'll be that much better equipped when the next opportunity comes along.