The early empty nest

Divorce is one of those wacky things that no one plans for, but lots of people have it happen to them. If you flashed my life back three years ago I never would have pictured that this is where I would be. The are things that I am eternally grateful for about no longer being in my marriage. However to write them here would serve no purpose other than taking shots at my ex-husband. And to be quite honest I am as much to blame for two completely different people ending up in a marriage that they should not have been in as he is. But I turn 37 today and the list of things that I have learned about myself has grown quite long. There is comfort in that.

To be divorced and raise children is a journey that no book can prepare you for. It means you have chunks of your children's lives that you don't get to experience. It is what I picture people feeling when their children go off to college and they no longer have a clear picture of what they are doing or where they are. Some nights you soak in the silence and some nights it hurts too much to look at their empty beds.

I don't know how other people deal with the pain of not being able to re tuck in some one's blankets and kiss them on the forehead. But for me, whenever anyone wants to know, "How do you train for a marathon?" That's how. Sometimes when you run far enough, you can sleep at night.