Knowing better and acting on the knowledge are different things. I'm a far more decisive bird these days and far happier. I suspect it was the socialisation and my youth, my ex-penguin and I were very compatible in many ways but not in what we wanted from life or our religious convictions... something that became evident the longer we stayed together. There was no arguing, there was no infidelity, there were no explosions. There was frustration and crying and compromise until it became evident after a particularly difficult holiday compromise couldn't work.

Whilst we were away on holiday a close family friend died suddenly and I was on the other side of the world with no way to return to my family. My ex-Penguin handled it very badly, it was an emotionally complex time and they seemed to lack insight into why I felt the way I did, behaved the way I did. This may have been my fault too. Our relationship ended a week after we arrived back in the UK.

I stayed because Penguins don't like to quit, I was inexperienced and young and because back then I was nice. I am no longer nice. :o)