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"I saw a lot of cool stuff on my recent man date to the Cloisters, including unicorns, straws made of gold and a hand-drawn set of playing cards. But the most thought-provoking object was a tree. Let me explain:Sorry to go all Washington State on you, but when you carve your initials in a tree, you leave it vulnerable to disease. Why don&amp;#x27;t you spray paint your names on the police station instead?This amazing tree was riddled with the initials of love-struck couples. Upon seeing such a heartwarming totem of human affection, a normal person would sigh, &amp;quot;Isn&amp;#x27;t that romantic?&amp;quot; I, on the other hand, asked a much different question: &amp;quot;How much do you wanna bet less than fvive percent of these couples are still together?&amp;quot; And it&amp;#x27;s not only permanently scarred trees that provoke this reaction in me. Romantic comedies, over-long wedding vows and public displays of affection are sure to get my eyes rolling. Part of that is just my nature--I&amp;#x27;ve always been a skeptic, a cynic and a pessimist. (Form an orderly line, ladies!) I like to think I&amp;#x27;m a lovable grouch, a la Oscar, and I can be very sentimental when the mood strikes. But genetics aren&amp;#x27;t solely to blame--my heart hardens a bit after each failed love affair. It&amp;#x27;s Psychology 101--every time a relationship causes me pain, I&amp;#x27;m conditioned to be more cautious of relationships, like those poor lab rats who got shocked whenever they reached for the cheese. Is the icebox where my heart used to be still capable of love? Of course. I have a new crush every other month, and I honestly think I&amp;#x27;m ready to settle down when the right girl comes along. But am I subconsciously poisoning burgeoning relationships with my negative attitude? Quite possibly. So I hereby resolve to begin looking on the bright side of life. I&amp;#x27;ll never be Sammy Sunshine, but something&amp;#x27;s gotta give. All the single ladies--do you ever struggle to maintain a positive attitude? Any tips for me? Do you naturally lean towards optimism or pessimism? And have you ever carved your initials in a tree? P.S. Are you a worrier? More Ways to Get Glamour You could win $50,000 just for registering for or logging in to Glamour.com! Sign up for Glamour.com&amp;amp;#8217;s Style Tips of the Week and Beauty Tip of the Day newsletters! Add Glamour to your iGoogle homepage. Follow us on Twitter! Become Ryan&amp;#x27;s Facebook friend!"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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