The pleasure, pain and growth of human connection.
Now That I Am On My Own: 1. I check my purse three or four times before I get out of the car to make sure I have my keys. I do not want to have to call my ex-husband (has spare set). I am slightly OCD about this. 2. I'm more aware of my body. [...]
We chose Friday night to tell the kids. We figured this gave them a two-day buffer before they had to go back to school. Somehow Jeff (ex-husband) and I managed to make it through the pre-talk dinner without bursting into tears or throwing up. We told them we were going to have a family meeting in [...]
We sat in the divorce mediator's well appointed waiting room. Good cologne and flavored coffee mingled in the air. My then husband, Jeff, and I filled out separate forms attached to clip-boards. A Keurig coffee machine sat between us. Our drive over together was chatty and not entirely uncomfortable; a mixture of first date, sheep-to-slaughter and relief. [...]
After we started the divorce process, my ex-husband made the comment, You're the first one over the wall. At the time, I knew of several women who found their marriages deeply unfulfilling and/or unbearable. Even though they were miserable they were afraid to take the leap and end it. Now I wondered if they were watching to see [...]
When I was younger I glorified wealthy people. I thought they were smarter (how else would they get so much money?) and socially gifted. They were superior and uncommon — exposed to better food, housing and worldly experiences. The fact that they could afford better vacations and mingle with other wealthy people gave them such a [...]
The kids are sick, the internet is down, school projects are piling up and my ex-husband is out of town for the week. I have no family in the area and my friends have their own overloaded lives. I see no help or space to regroup in the near future. Doing it all alone puts me [...]
