Time and time again, I have been reminded that our own thinking is the cause of our pain. Being in the present moment (that is why meditation is a good practice) enables us to deal with our lives better than staying in our heads worrying about the future. All we got is the here and now. Each moment we can choose differently.

It seems that you are looking for “The One.” How about not focusing on the destination so much but the journey? How about create close relationships without the goal of having a partner? How about viewing both men and women as people you want to get close to and be friends with? I think that would be good practice.

I believe we grow not in a vacuum but in relationship. It takes a father or a boss or a friend to challenge us to grow or to make us notice things about ourselves that years of meditation would never uncover.

Let us know how you progress.

Metta,
Mark