Recycling: Good for cans … Bad for men

My name is LG, and I admit that I have a problem.  

I am a habitual recycler.  Unfortunately, I don’t think that Al Gore or Greenpeace is going to present me with an award for this type of recycling.

I recycle exes.

What that means is that although a relationship didn’t work out in the past, I am more than happy down the road to consider a more casual arrangement.  If this happens once or twice, it’s no big deal – you probably don’t have a certifiable problem.  But in my case, I have more or less had an ex “on deck” for the past ... always. 

I didn’t realize that this was strange or unusual until my BFF pointed out that I have long-term relationships with guys that I don’t deem acceptable to be my boyfriend.

 For instance:

-     A non-lationship with one heavily tattooed waiter* lasted 3+ years

(*At least he worked at Gibson’s.  Not that I ever got to dine there, because we weren’t technically dating).

-     I casually saw “The Giant” for 3.5 years, despite him not living in Chicago & him driving me bonkers every time we hung out.  I swore each time was the last … until it finally was last summer.

-     And recently I have reignited a non-lationship with an old flame who is a little too into me.  My friends have predicted that this one will end badly.  I counter that since we aren’t really dating, there shouldn’t have to be any messy “ending” – in theory.

For those of you who wonder how my fake boyfriends might inhibit me getting a real boyfriend, I don’t really see much of a conflict.  Of course, I haven’t really had a boyfriend in a long time either… but clearly having exes waiting in the wing isn’t the issue.

Or is it?