Friendships After Relationships

Is it possible to start a friendship after the end of a relationship? A good friend of mine once told me that it's impossible for a straight female and a straight male to truly be friends (This coming from my oldest straight guy friend). My friend argued that once you reach a certain age it becomes impossible because one of the two will have some sort of "non-friendly" feelings towards the other. Be it a sexual attraction, a crush, or love-they do say friends make the best lovers.

But what about two people meeting, dating for a short time, ending it, and then remaining friends? Is that even possible, especially if the two people didn't have a friendship before they starting dating? I have always thought it was possible. I have always tried to stay friends with guys after I dated them. Sometimes the guy made it impossible to remain friends, but I always gave it a try. One of my best guy friends and I actually dated in college. But, there are limitations for me on how good of friends I can be with a guy after we date.

I think the more "G-Rated" the relationship is, the easier it is to build a friendship after the relationship ends. I think that when a relationship stays "G-Rated" you tend to talk more, and learn more about the person, this could be because there is not a lot of action, so there is plenty of time for chatting. (I'm actually dealing with this right now. We had a VERY G-Rated relationship, and now we are working on the friend thing. However, I'm worried that he is trying to woo me, and wants more than he is letting on. For example, he has asked me out with his friends the past two nights, and wants me to go out with them tonight for Fat Tuesday--which actually sounds like a lot of fun.)

I think the more emotional a relationship is, the harder it is to become friends after things end. When the relationship is still fun and casual, then it ends, there is not a lot invested in it, so it's easier to move forward with a friendship. However, some people are not capable of this because one person cared more than the other, and somewhere along the way, someone has gotten his/her feelings hurt. Even if the couple just "dated" for a very short time. I also think it depends a lot on the maturity level of the people involved.

I have been told that I am a great friend after the relationship ends. I don't get jealous, I don't get territorial, I am just happy that I met this person and made something out of it, since it was obvious we were not "meant for each other". I've even gone so far as to hook an ex up with girls I know. I look at it as, "he's a great guy, not the great guy for me, but that does not mean he won't be the great guy for someone I know". If that's not a good friend, then I don't know what it is--crazy maybe?