I might sense a chance that I will get hurt again.
I also feel a danger in getting my hopes up.
You seem to be approaching this in a smart manner. Guarded optimism is what you should be feeling precisely for those reasons you mention. I know I've been burned by an overly optimistic interruption of events. It took me a while to learn how to temper my expectations. Those up and down emotions your feeling are the rollercoaster you hear about on here. I went through it, I think most of us understand the concept. It's normal considering your circumstances.
Let the situation develop on it's own accord. Don't try to orchestrate an outcome. Be in a position to take advantage of any opportunity, but also be careful to protect yourself from anything that could hurt you. That's the mistake I made in the beginning, and it slowed down my progress, but you seem to have a good grasp on it.
"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare." -Mark Twain
