That’s me, Rocky Balboa

POSTS ABOUT DIVORCE:

Second Saturday (aka, Divorce 101): The funny thing about divorce is that it’s not something you learn how to deal with in advance. Sure, my high school taught me all about Home Economics–how to bake cookies, set a table, and sew a stitch. We had Driver’s Ed classes, too. But, I don’t recall any classes on the in’s and out’s of untying the knot. No siree, Bob!

Responding to Hannah’s Question: Divorce cuts you to the core, but I believe it also leads to a rebirth and discovery of who you really are.  Of course, I learned this the hard way. Misery settled into my life for a few years, but out of that misery came something better–my life today.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel: Just in time for the new year, I offer a gleam of hope. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I know, because I have reached it. It took a while. Years, really, but I know it’s there because I’ve been there. So, if you have experienced, or are experiencing divorce, or if you have been touched by it in some way, or know someone who is contemplating one, please read my blog on the Huffington Post site…

The Writing on the Wall: This is how my marriage ended. There was a bang, but first a series of whimpers, which, at the time, I did not recognize for what they were.  In retrospect, I can see clearly. Hindsight is 20-20, after all. But back then, my eyes did not see the writing on the wall. Later, some would say, I was in denial. And of course, they would be right…

Songs in the Key of Divorce: When I was a kid I’d imagine a soundtrack to my life, just like the people in the movies. When Audrey Hepburn goes traipsing through the streets of New York, Henry Mancini’s haunting melody, Moon River, follows her all the way to Tiffany’s. It’s the same for John Voight and Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy, only this time it’s Harry Nilsson’s Everybody’s Talkin’.

Me, Rocky Balboa:  “You are worthless and you’ll never amount to anything!” So said my ex when we were still in the throes of unraveling our marriage. And today I want to officially thank him. Little did he know when he said those hurtful, pain-searing words, that he was doing me a favor.  In his own, offhanded way, he was encouraging me to fly the coop, and be something more—without him.  Turns out, it was just the push I needed…

Time to Commercialize Divorce:  Society doesn’t prepare you for divorce.  Still, you would’ve thought by now that someone would have figured out a way to turn it into a profit-generating machine, much the same way we do with weddings. Makes sense when you consider that half of first marriages and about 75% of second marriages end in divorce. In fact, it is so prevalent that with a little bit of pluck, a company could step right in and turn divorce into a cash cow…

Strangers = Cheap Therapy:  People who didn’t know me when I was in the throes of my divorce often ask, how did you do it? How did you get over your divorce? People who did know me then never ask. They already know. I talked. Then I talked some more. I became very talkative, letting it all out. A regular Chatty Cathy, sharing with whomever, whenever…

Let’s Hear it for the 50 Percenters!: I’m a trendsetter—on the cutting edge. A pioneer! Baby, take a bow! You may wonder why am I so proud? What am I on the forefront of? Why, divorce of course!..