Have you introduced your old friends to your new romantic relationship? Do you think they are going to be happy to meet each other? Sometimes, we may find it surprising and even disappointing when our old friends do not warm to our new love. Understanding and implementing boundaries can be essential to your happiness, as well as your potential partnership.

A strange thing happens when you bring old friends and your new romantic partner together. You discover that even though your friends and family want the best for you, some of them may have a hard time adjusting. When they realize that they are about to be replaced as the special confidant or advisor to your single life, they may experience a tidal wave of panic.

If your friends are in happy, loving relationships, they will be thrilled that the two of you have found each other. However, if they have been enjoying your company as a distraction to their empty lives; if they have been playing host to you, with all the answers to your struggles; if they have been the shoulder for you to lean on, chances are, they are going to be upset when you fall in love and move to a different place emotionally. Unfortunately, they may be invested in your staying single more than they understand.

Habits and ways we have grown accustomed to are harder to let go of than we realize. I think about how the electricity went off in our house the other day and even though I knew that, every time I walked into a darkened room, I tried to switch on the lights. Obviously, my former habits are deeply programmed into me. From these small every-day experiences, I can understand how hard it is for someone to change or let go of the usual, when they are strongly attached to things being the way they