Does it Take Guts to Leave a Marriage?

 

I was talking to Donna, an author and a life coach, about ideas for my next blog post.

Donna knows my theme is “Gutsy Living” and she texted me,

“It takes guts to leave a marriage… Did u write on that?”

My answer is “No,” and although I agree there are many women who stay stuck in a marriage because it’s easier to do that, than to get unstuck, I still don’t view my own situation as gutsy.

Now what I’m planning for the rest of my life, I would call Gutsy, in the sense that I am not one of those women who likes to stay in my house, and certainly don’t thrive on the same routine. Besides, I no longer own a house, nor do I have a home to celebrate the holidays with my three sons. (That part I do regret.)

My life right now is a period of major transition. It has been quite liberating to rid myself of possessions, take charge of my own finances, get organized, and move forward with my next adventure.

Apart from my clothes, photos and files, all I own is the furniture below, and my small blue Kia Rio. Quite surprising that at age 57, I’m back to what I owned as a 25-year-old, and the strange thing is I now feel free to pack up and move to another country.

My only possessions are: the inspirational painting that led to my love of tropical islands, two antique chairs I embroidered with my mother in Denmark when I was fifteen years old, and my parents’ Chinese chest, which has followed me since 1983.

I  applied and was rejected by the Peace Corps, but that didn’t stop me from changing my resume, and reapplying. I’m thrilled to announce that I finally had my 2-hour interview and shall keep you posted on what happens with that.

As a back-up, I decided to get a (TESOL) certificate, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, an intense 4-week course, supposedly with no breaks on weekends. The problem is I have at least six people whom I’d like to visit in the UK, including author Ian Mathie,  and my French/British blogger friend Muriel Demarcus, who wrote a  My Gutsy Story® published in the Anthologies, and other friends from my days studying in the UK.

So for me, the answer has been, and shall always remain, to keep busy with plans and projects, and to keep networking, as you never know what the future holds. When you’re open to change, there are so many possibilities.

• Don’t focus on the “what if’s” of your divorce, but on the “what if’s of your life.”

Please share anything you wish to in the comments section below, especially if you have gone through a divorce, or a separation.