In spite of my trademark dry sarcasm, I am the eternal optimist. When life gives me lemons, you bet your ass I’ll be making lemonade. Or a Lemon Drop martini, depending on the time of day.
It’s the time of year when many of us reflect on the year that has just passed, and set goals for the coming months. It was definitely a year of transition for me: finalizing our separation agreement & divorce after nearly two years was a huge relief for my ex & myself. I formed some wonderful, deep friendships. I experienced a couple of significant personal relationships. I broke a heart & had mine broken as well. I watched my boys seamlessly transition living in two households. Most importantly, I saw the smiles return to their eyes after a year of confusion, anger and sadness. I also gave birth to Divorce Doula.
Writing this blog is an immensely satisfying experience for me: although I write about my personal feelings & experiences, I have enjoyed hearing from others that they can relate and have even found my blog helpful or instructive to them as they navigate their own divorces. It has given me a forum to express myself to friends & strangers alike, forming bonds & relationships with people I may not have connected with otherwise. It has made me feel less alone as I traipse – and sometimes trip – through this new phase in my life. And to recognize that although there are bleak, cloudy dark days, each one has a silver lining.
One of the people I most admire is Anne Frank. She remained an optimist, believing in the goodness of humankind, despite being faced with unspeakable evil & tragedy. This is one of my favourite quotes from her diary:
“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be. How much you can love. What you can accomplish and what your potential is.”
That is my goal for 2013: to read that piece of good news within myself, discover how much I can love, and realize just what I’m capable of. To surround myself with family, friends, people who are deserving of how much I am able to offer once I’ve earned their love, respect & trust. And to always, always look for the silver lining.
Happiest of holidays to all of you. Peace.
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