REIGNITING A SENSE OF PURPOSE
1) How Many days did you do your Morning Pages /MPs?
Most days… but not always the full three pages. Life is complicated at the moment so some days I barely even managed one. (Which is, perhaps, when we should be concentrating the most on our MPs.)
2) Did you do an Artist Date?
See above for complicated life, but the truth is I didn’t make it a priority. Hmmm. Why not? Continue reading
Photo by Krivec Ales from Pexels
In the years after my husband left me, I had to stop listening to music popular in the years we were married. The memories were just too painful.
Instead, I went back to music from before I met him. Those songs held no negative memories, and helped me find ‘me’ again… if you know what I mean. Continue reading
Mum
May 2016 be your year of yes. May it be filled with love, family, adventure, travel, new experiences and empowerment.
All my love,
xx
That was the inscription my daughter wrote on the book she gave me for Christmas 2015 – Year of Yes (How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun and be Your Own Person) by Shonda Rhimes,- the incredible creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and Private Practice (amongst others).
2015 was the year my husband left me, and that Christmas, despite my daughter giving birth to her first child a few days earlier, I was truly lost and in despair.
There was one particular paragraph in the book that really resonated with me. Losing yourself doesn’t happen all at once. Losing yourself happens one ‘no’ at a time. ‘No’ to going out tonight. ‘No’ to catching up with that old college roommate. ‘No’ to attending that party. ‘No’ to making a new friend. Losing yourself happens one pound at a time. Continue reading
I’ve always wanted to go to Israel, ever since I read Leon Uris’ book Exodus back in the late 60s. I even dreamed of going to work on a kibbutz when I was in my late-teens, but wars and life got in the way.
And then, this year, I finally got my chance.
But I was scared. Although I’ve travelled with friends and family since my husband left me, this would be the first time travelling completely on my own – albeit as part of a tour group.
So I sat down and went through my fears. Continue reading
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves. Confucius.
In 1995, a woman in the city where I live – let’s call her Lucy – who’d been married for 38 years, was dumped by her husband for a younger woman. As with all women of that generation, Lucy had devoted her life to her marriage, family and his career. Distraught by his betrayal and her pain, she shot him six times.
Lucy’s husband recovered and went on to marry his mistress. Lucy was found not guilty of attempted murder by reason of temporary insanity and served time in a mental institution. On her release, scorned by society and abandoned by many of her former friends, she struggled to rebuild her relationships with her adult children and find a purpose to her life. I’m not sure she ever did, and, sadly, she died within a few years, aged 66. Continue reading
There are times when all the inspirational quotes in the world, all the positive self-talk, all the telling yourself that you should be over this, that you’re moving on, that you’re stronger and better than you were, all the kind supportive comments of friends, family and counsellors just don’t cut it. Something triggers you and the tears and pain and grief cuts right into your soul leaving you as raw and in such emotional agony as those early days.
There’s nothing – nothing – anyone else can do to help or console you. You know you’re just going to have to go down that dark path by yourself and know you’ll come out the other end into the light.
And when you do emerge into the light, it’ll be bitter-sweet, because you know that somewhere down the line – maybe not for weeks, months or even years – that darkness is waiting for you up ahead, hiding out of sight, waiting to pounce again when you’re feeling vulnerable.
For me, it was a combination of things. I had packed away all the pictures that include my ex-husband – or at least I thought I had. But last night I came upon a family photo taken of us all a couple of years before he left me. We look happy. Solid. I’m looking at the camera with total innocence, his arm around me, no idea that my marriage and family are about to implode. Continue reading
… or does it?
Princess Diana famously said, ‘There were three of us in our marriage, so it was a bit crowded.’
And then there’s that old chestnut, “It takes two to destroy a marriage.”
After my ex left me, I wrestled with both those sayings.
If it hadn’t been for my ex’s girlfriend (now wife) giving him an ultimatum, would he have ever left?
And if it takes two for a marriage to break down, then I must share 50% of the blame for the failure of mine.
I asked my husband, ‘What did I do wrong?’ Continue reading
My husband’s job took him away from home, so I spent a lot of time as a single-parent. Particularly when our kids were really young, he was often gone for weeks, months, and one time for over a year, with only two short visits home.
I loved my husband. I love my kids and grandkids. As immigrants, with extended family living thousands of miles away, I cherished our tiny family unit. When our kids got married and the first grandchild came along, it was wonderful seeing that family expand.
I loved it when my husband and I spent time with our little granddaughter, babysitting her for a few hours, or having her for a sleepover. We took her to our local park, out for dinner or breakfast, and once – unsuccessfully – to the movies. Spending time with her, it was like we were getting a chance to make up for all the time we’d spent apart and unable to enjoy our own kids together when they were little. Continue reading
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