It's been almost three years since I came out and my life crumbled before my eyes. And on March 11th my divorce became final. That chapter of my life is officially over according to a few pieces of paper and thousands of dollars.
I feared the day it all became final because I thought it would throw me for a tail-spin, even though I knew the day was coming. But when my ex-wife mentioned to me that it was finalized I was saddened but there was also a sense of having been desensitized to the reality because we've been living apart for so long.
The road has been a long one to get to today but one thing I gained from all of this pain and loneliness is that I have truly found myself. This period of time, being a single adult man has given me a true sense of self and clarity that I don't think I have ever had.
I was known to most people as part of a couple for half my life. I was the type of guy who fit into a mold and followed the logical path in life and never wanted to inconvenience anyone else. Then one day I wasn't someone who followed the life path that so many take. I struggled with my own identity and had to fight for the rights to even see my son on regular schedule.
And in walking this new path, I had to develop my own new community. I had to find new friends and develop a support system. And I had to be okay with sleeping alone, in an empty house and eat meals by myself. The silence was deafening and I'm sure I showed signs of depression.
I was lucky to find a few key people who have given me tools to be okay. One of those people was a guy named Jake who introduced me to hot yoga. Hot yoga has become a way for me to escape the outside world and focus simply on breath and heartbeat and I leave the studio feeling renewed and with a sense of peace. I know it sounds clichéd but it's true.
Time has also been a vehicle that has helped me gain some clarity. I know I'm a good person. I know I have a lot to offer anyone I have a relationship with. And I'm completely capable of being a single man. I've always been a man who cooked and cleaned, but I can now say that I'm a man who has created a comfortable home for my son. And this passing of time has allowed me to transition from fearing my days/weekends without William to someone who made the most of that time by catching up on chores that may have slipped, catching up with friends, or spending a Friday night being lazy on the couch because the 5:45 wake up times had caught up to me. It's okay to be alone; I'm independent and perhaps that is a trait that my son will notice and incorporate into his own development.
Three years ago I don't think I would predict that I would be where I am right now. I think I would have predicted that I'd still be struggling to find a new equilibrium, but I'm happy to say I survived and came out the other side knowing myself better than I ever have. I have a strength inside me that I underestimated and although I don't want to be single forever, I know it's okay. And I've set certain standards for myself in hopes of never losing myself again.
Sure I still have some work to do but I know I will be okay.
3 comments:
Good for you, sounds like you are on the right path!
Your child needs you more today than he ever needed you before. You may understand by now that you are not alone in your suffering; your kid shares your suffering. Whatever you are going through, he has to go through. If you feel that you have lost a life partner, remember that your kid lost something more valuable, a family. It would be unfair for you to abandon your kid when he is stressed out the most.
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Dan.Eliot
Clearly you haven't read many of my entries. I have NEVER and will never abandon my child. I fought very hard for the access I have and he is my absolute priority.
But thanks for your point of view.
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