What is trust?

Trust ended up being a very large issue in my life, one that would not be looked at seriously, decided or settled until my late twenties. Only then did I realize how much the trust issue had affected my life, and mucked my life up by that point.

To make this terribly short, I discovered that I was most content and comfortable with the following definition:

Trust, to me, means that I believe and rely on my belief that you will not do anything intentional to hurt me.

This does not mean that you won't hurt me in some manner or another, accidentally.
Nor does it mean that I will not decide to allow my own feelings to be hurt as a result of something you do or say.

It does mean that I believe you respect and/or love me as I respect and/or love you, that we have similar standards and values regarding others, which is why we have a relationship to begin with.

It does mean that I do not have to hide any part of myself when I am with you.

It does mean that I do not have to be on my guard when my life is involved in your space, and yours in mine.

It does mean I can relax.

(And if you ever, EVER so anything intentionally to hurt me, my family, my space, kiss me goodbye!)

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