Theory of Mind

During the latest foray into Wikipedia I also came across the "Theory of Mind" which is described as "the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires and intentions that are different from one's own."

Apparently it's one of the skills children pick up in their first few years. It seems I've only recently developed my "Dating Theory of Mind". To be able to understand that the women I meet have their own beliefs, intents, desires about relationships. :)

In some way, I think that when I've met women I've compared and considered how they would fit into the type of lifestyle or relationship that I had with Robin. Would this person be interested in long bike rides? Would that person be interested in spontaneous weekend trips to a city?

Only now I'm recognizing that the content and context of past relationships will have little bearing on my future relationships. The future ones will all be defined and negotiated with someone new - so they'll necessarily be different!