That Fork in The Road

Sometimes… one can go years in a marriage before realizing… there’s a fork in this road.  One realizes they’re wanting to go in a different direction.  And suddenly… the entire picture of life begins to look so much more brighter… simpler… happier.

Such became the case in my journey to reclaim Teresa.  I reached a point where the stress in the struggle had affected me physically… to the point of taking anti-depressants… anxiety meds… and then came blood pressure meds.

Time was closing in on me.  A decision to move to Missouri was racing on the calendar.  And I wanted to wrap an anchor onto a pier… more and more… every day I awoke.  But when the blood pressure meds came into the picture… I knew I had to sort out and find my strength to decide which direction I was going.

By then… I had so many reasons why I did not want to move to Missouri.  This marriage was sucking life out of me.  Moving to Missouri would isolate me even more… bringing me to my death much sooner.   And I’d decided I wanted to come back alive… and live.

People grow… and change.  We all do.  And it’s not fair for one person to have the comforts of growing in their own journey… while expecting the other to conform… at the expense of leaving their true self way back… years behind.  Time lost.  Soul damaged.  One thread left for hanging on.

Especially when an angel has come onto the scene… and reminded you of who… you really are.  I mean… if that doesn’t bring you a wake-up call… God take you on home.

It just felt like pure common sense to make my case and ask for a divorce.  I was finished with life being all about convenience for someone else… at the expense of my health… well-being and happiness.

I was scheduled to see my doctor 3 days later… for a regular follow-up.  We never got through the usual routine.  Being granted a divorce had my blood pressure drop… too low!  My doctor took me off the blood pressure med.  We expect I’ll be able to stop taking my other two meds once the divorce matters are all in the past.

Amicable.  Fair.  That will be this divorce.  He’s just happy that I’m not wanting to clean his clock out.  I’m shocked that he wants to continue raising cattle.  He says they’re his kids.  Nobody can take these kids away from him.  Believe me.  I get that.  If that’s what makes him happy… I’m happy for him.

But I deserve to be happy…  just as much.  And I have so many reasons to feel excited about getting that chance!

Breaking away… True Self… Amicable… Fair… Truths… Self-Love… Self-Respect… Happiness… Joy… New Love… etc..

These… and many more… are all good things that each of us deserve to embed in our lives while we’re here.  There is no law that says we must give up these things… for anyone else.  Nor should we ever think we are entitled to snuff out those same candles in any other good soul.

Take time to examine how much of these good things you have in your life.  If you find any missing… make time.  Make the effort.  Feed your soul with the goodness it deserves.

Remember…. you are Love.  Be kind to yourself.  And be kind to others.

 

 

Finally Becoming Ready For A Real Fight!

I doubt I’ll ever forget all those feelings that came erupting to my surface… once I realized I was looking at Teresa standing all alone… what seemed like… miles and miles behind me.

“What have I done?  How did this happen?  Why would I allow this to happen?”

Love.  I realized… In my struggle to survive… just how addicted I had become… to giving of myself to all others… with hopes of all that I am being cherished by those receiving my gift.

And had I been accepted… respected… loved in return?  Yes.  For all I could do… for others.  For just being… me?  No.

To be Teresa meant doing for Teresa.  Placing Teresa into the grand scheme.  Doing so took away time devoted to others.  Life began becoming uncomfortable for others.

Convenience is who I’d become.  And when I awoke that morning and chose to go reclaim Teresa…  Convenience began disappearing… much to the discomfort felt by others.

Anger began showing up at my feet.  I began stepping over the piles… defending my own wishes… wants… likes… preferences… for once in my life.

My gut was full.  And I cannot describe the amazing feeling of… truly not even giving a damn if it made anyone else feel… uncomfortable… for a change.

Perception takes a hit… from both sides… at this point.  But here… we are talking about my journey.

A freedom I have never felt before.

My next step… to hone in on that freedom.  Doing so without anger… defiance… retaliation… and all those other dark emotions.

I’ve since found my way to accomplishing that.  So know this.  It is possible.  And it can bring a sense of wholeness that we all seek in life.

Have you ever gotten your gut full of giving and giving… until you just have no more… of anything… to give… to anyone?

Take time to sit in stillness… the quiet… or… some place that calms you. Take time to give to yourself.  Love yourself.

Because YOU are love.  You deserve love.  Love comes in millions of other forms!

A Quad Vente’ Latte’… a day in the forest… baking loaves of bread while nobody else is in the house… listening to soft music.  Dancing to songs you loved through all your years of growing up… when you’re home alone.  A soak in the tub… with bathsalts… or… bubbles!

Love yourself today!  Be kind.  And… remember to be kind to yourself.  YOU are just as real as anyone else!

New Beginnings Bring Beginnings

So much in life today struggles to encourage us all to seek good.  In the maze… comes so many inspirational quotes and messages.  And for me… anyway… I found myself becoming numb.  They’d pass me by with nothing more than a simple… ‘okay‘… in response.

We take these beautiful words of soul saving graces… for granted.  But if we pay attention to the next one that comes along our way… we receive an incredible blessing that has fallen into our lap… literally!

If we just… stop whatever we’re doing… and give 15 minutes of our swamped day… 15 measly minutes, peeps…  to really soak in the intentions behind that little phrase of many that we’re always hearing… at some time or another.

There is… always… some intentional reason… for these little gems popping into our sight… or… even our mind.  Whichever way they come to grab our attention.  They’re a gift meant for us to receive.  A nugget of gold… meant for helping us delve more into ourselves… to learn who… we… are.

And sometimes… they can even guide us to the right path… when we find ourselves at a crossroads.

It was just one of these little phrases that offered confirmation… turning me onto this path of my own personal journey to reclaim myself.  That particular phrase is irrelevant in my sharing.  It was meant for me.  We each have our own… unique… whispers of encouragement that come to us.  Intended for our own one-of-a-kind journey that our Spiritual Source (Spirit; God; I Am; Allah…etc.,) works diligently to guide us… for our own highest good… and the highest good of all.

Think about this.  Each of us… is one living soul… gifted with our very own presence… in this entire… amazing… infinite universe!

What gift of encouragement floats into your own path today?  Feel free to come back and share!

In the meantime… remember to be good to yourself!