Moving On

What exactly does it mean to move on with your life?

I believe in the phase I am at in my life, that most people would say that it means I am ready to move on to a new relationship. Why does moving on always seem to mean something serious? Can't it just mean that you feel like you are finally starting to be happy again? Can't it mean that you are rediscovering who you are? I mean, those are ways that we move on, right?

If I tell people that I feel like I am ready to move on with my life, they automatically assume that I am ready to start looking for my next husband. Is it that horrible that I feel like I might be ready to date someone? Is it horrible to be ready to date, and yet, nowhere close to looking for your new "Mr. Right"? Why is it that I get reactions like, "It hasn't even been a year yet."? I guess I didn't realize there was a time line for when it is ok.

Let me start over before I go on a tangent.

So obviously the beginning is my marriage and divorce. (Not the beginning exactly, but the beginning of where it would be relevant to what I am talking about.)

First, I need to point something out. I would have died trying to make my marriage work.

No matter how unhappy I was.
No matter how much I got ignored.
No matter how unloved I felt.
Not matter what happened or what he did.
No matter how lonely I felt everyday.

I literally would have dedicated my life to preserving my marriage vows. I would have stuck it out and worked on it forever.

WHY?

There are so many answers to this question. I don't believe in divorce. I believe that when you stand in front of God, your family and friends, that you make a promise that means forever. I promised to God and to my husband that till death do us part, I would honor my wedding vows. And I would have, if it had been my choice, that is.

I would have tried for my kids sake. My kids deserve to be raised in a home with two loving parents. I never wanted to have kids who came from a "broken home", as some people like to call it. I have seen how difficult it is for kids who come from divorced families. I never wanted that for my kids.

The main reason I would have died trying to make my marriage work is because I loved him. I fell in love with him quickly. I loved him all the way up till the day he told me he didn't love me anymore. I loved him, and for me that was reason enough to make it work.

I really do have a point.

The point is that none of this was my choice. It wasn't my decision. I DID NOT want any of this. I would have been perfectly fine living my life with my two kids and my husband in the life I had gotten accustomed to.

Some people may think that I gave up fighting too quickly. The first few months, I would tell him all the time that the door was open anytime he changed his mind. I would tell him that every time we talked. I used to talk to him continuously about what happened and what I could have done differently. I would ask him to go to counseling and he refused to try. I know women that after a year are still trying to convince their husbands to make it work. I always thought I would be one of those women.

So What Changed?

I can tell you the exact moment things changed. One day, I was at the house after I moved into the apartment. I was sorting through our boxes of stuff, separating what I was taking with me. I was having a hard time because there were a lot of memories in the boxes I was going through. I went upstairs to talk to him. we were having a typical conversation that was a repeat of many we had been having. I was asking him if I could have done anything differently. I was asking him if he had reconsidered counseling. (I should point out that his back was to me on the computer, as usual. Maybe that doesn't need to be pointed out, but I can't lie, I am still a little bitter over that computer.) I was expecting the same answers that I had been getting since the separation, except this time he completely threw me for a loop.

He actually turned from the computer to face me and he stared at me for a second. The words that came out of his mouth are words that I will probably never forget. He said, "I don't know how to say this any clearer so that you can understand this without hurting you more. I can't stand to be around you."

OUCH!

That is the moment I gave up. I don't know if it was as much the words he spoke, as it was the seriousness in his eyes. So I went home and I cried. I probably cried harder that day than I did the first day when he said he didn't love me anymore. That day I knew he was serious. I KNEW without a doubt that my marriage was over and there was nothing I could do about it.

I still prayed for a few months after that for him to have a change of heart. Even my prayers were half hearted though because I knew he was just plain done with me and our marriage.

Yes, I still believed.......no BELIEVE....that God does work miracles. God is amazing. God has a plan. God loves me and does not want this for me.

God also gave us free will. Unfortunately, my husband's free will may not make the choices that God would want.

Moving on.......

I made a decision that night, that whether I wanted to or not, I HAD to move on with my life. I HAD to do this for my kid's sake, and mine. I knew that I couldn't be a good mother if I kept moping about. I had to get myself happy and healthy in order to be able to care for them the way they need to be cared for.

In the beginning, it was getting myself healthy again.

Physically
Mentally
Emotionally

After that, it was rediscovering who I was.

What made me happy.
What made me sad.
Even, what I like to do for fun.

Now, nine months later, I feel good. I still have my days, don't get me wrong. I am Happy. I feel like I can finally move on. I feel like I can date. I am not talking about finding someone to spend the rest of my life with. I am talking about going out and having a good time. I am talking more about figuring out what I want with my life. I am talking about learning to trust again. I am talking about moving on.

Pure and Simple.

Please don't criticize me because you think it's too soon. If I told you I was going to be getting married, then, you could tell me it is too soon.

Right now, I just need to be happy. I am not going to do anything stupid. I am not going to rush into anything super serious. I am going to live for the here and now. I am not going to worry about what anyone thinks of me, or the choices I make. The choices I make are for me to decide. I know when its right. I know how I feel. I know what is healthy for me. So if I feel like I am ready to "move on", then let the choice be mine.