Friends??

Todd and I continued to date for a few more weeks. Needless to say he was not invited over to my house anymore. We had so much fun together but the one issue that we could not get past was the subject of my dogs. This was something that he was not going to cave on and I absolutely would not EVER compromise on my dogs.

It was very difficult for me to comprehend how everything could seem so spot on with a person and something as trivial as whether a dog lives in your house or outside of your house could be the breaking point. However, it was a definite deal breaker with me because these dogs were NEVER going to live outside and that was that. I could never even imagine anything different for them.

Todd and I eventually decided that we were not going to have a future together romantically. It was a mutual decision and was probably the most mature, adult break-up conversation I had had with someone up to this point. We basically just sat down and agreed that due to this huge point of contention we would never be able to see a future together so we needed to stop things before they got too much more involved. We laughed about how trivial it sounded, I gave him a nickname "Dog Hater Todd" and then we agreed that we would remain friends because we truly enjoyed each other's company so much.

I believe that it is rare to actually remain friends with someone who you have dated and had an intimate relationship with. Usually it is very hard to go back to a platonic relationship…especially if you never had that in the first place. Todd and I have been the exception to that!! We have turned in to really good friends! We talk about once a week. We still see each other occasionally. We have just as much fun together as friends as we did when we dated. There is definitely still an attraction there but we just have to draw the line and know that we have decided to be friends. Occasionally if we're both single we will sneak a kiss in but that is where we draw the line :) I am so thankful to have him in my life as a friend because he is a fantastic person. I would much rather our situation have ended up as it has then ended up in any other way.

My Take-Aways from Todd:

* There are good guys out there. Todd was the first really good, quality, successful guy that I dated. It was encouraging to me to finally find someone that was on the same page as me and shared the same goals!! Even though it didn't work out with him, it made me set my bar a little higher and made me realize that I can find a quality guy if I am just willing to wait for the right one.
* When you feel like you see little red flags, don't dismiss them…pay attention. More than likely they turn into big issues. The entire dog situation could have been avoided had I just listened and taken him seriously when he told me that he hated indoor dogs.
* When you know that a relationship is not going anywhere it is best to go ahead a scrap it. Don't drag it out even if you feel like everything else feels good about it. If there is one huge issue that you will never get past, end the relationship. Fortunately Todd and I ended it early enough that emotions were not so involved and we could not salvage a friendship.