I am a divorcé.   Oh the horror, gasp, no way, OMG!  There was a time in my early years of being married that I was very judgmental toward people that did not "honor their commitment to marriage!" Wow how those kind of stupid "holier than thou" thoughts have come back to bite me in the butt!!!

     I was married for almost 7 years when a week before our 8th anniversary, my husband moved out.  Now I'm sure that you all are just dying to hear that story, (right) but suffice it say that it happened very suddenly and I not only lost my husband, but my best friend (you get my drift???).  To say that it was horribly devastating, heartbreaking and traumatic, is at best, and understatement.  I remember the moment that I learned why they call it a "broken heart", and why someone could drive off of a cliff because of it.  This was the person that I had committed my life to, the man I thought I would grow old with, the man I built my life around!  Thank God I was lucky enough to have the support of my loving family, my friends, my God and it was because of their love that I made it through this horrible process.

     What I want to talk about though, is what I learned from it all...not everything, because that would take days!!!  I have had the chance to talk to loads of women who have gone through the same thing;  The heartbreak is about the same but the major difference is how we come out of it in the end.  I'm super competitive and I think at the end of it all, this



So I have to admit to something. I fully realize that I just stopped mid sentence but I was trying to write this in the middle of my day with the kids running around all crazy like. I have now had dinner, a margarita and the kids are taking a bubble bath. Not alone people! Sheesh I'm not totally inept as a parent.   Anyway, the advice could get really good now, after a margi, even though I may regret what I'm saying in the morning.. Now back to that amazing advice I was about to give you....



     See, what I learned is that I can sit around for days, months or even years and feel sorry for myself.  I   could wallow in self pity, sulk and bore everyone with the details for years on how "my x this, and my x that".  Wouldn't that be productive! I'm sorry, but to be totally honest, I talked to so many women who gave their exes that kind of power over them for years, lots of years, and I was determined to NOT be one of them. Seriously, I had every right to be bitter and angry but then who still has the power over me?  He would have!   Call me crazy, but that was the last thing I wanted to give him was more power!!!  Let me be totally clear,



     I started hanging out with my sweet husband much before I ever even thought it was a good idea. He was just a friend, really people!  Let me just be clear...this is not part of my "advice"...I'm not suggesting to anyone in this situation that you date right away and marry the first guy that comes along without years of healing; but for me it was right.  (one other thing I have stopped being judgmental about!) For sure there were times when my past snuck in like a punch in the face, but again I had to remind myself..."do I give my x that kind of power over me??".  For me the answer was always  NO. I had a very hard time trusting, but my husband is NOT my x!  Life is scary and unpredictable. "it" could happen to me again, but do I live in fear?  Do I let my past dictate my future? Heeeellll noooooooooooo!  I look at my husband and praise God for letting him be the man I get to share my life with.  I look at my kids, amazing, beautiful little faces and weap at the thought that they would not be ours if I would have been too scared to move on!  We just celebrated 8 years of marriage and I love him more than I did when I married him!

     We all have the crap from our past that scares us into paralysis...whether it's abuse from a parent, someone abandoning you, death, or like me divorce, and I certainly don't want to insult anyone or in anyway oversimplify any of these traumas, but at the end of the day, it's up to you. Are you going to give that asshole person from your past control over how you choose your future?  Or are you going to be brave, take a leap of faith and jump? That doesn't mean be unwise, but it does mean to do your best to trust and move on. Could you get hurt again? Yup! Should that keep you from being brave and trying? Nope! You survived lady!!!! now get off the couch and go live!  Let your past give you streingth because you are wiser, and more resilient.  Life is waiting, be brave and live!  (or I will come to your house and give you a good dose of Gena drill sergeant!...too much?  Must be the margi speaking!)







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     Well it has happened once again...my sweet motivated, brainy friend has dragged me into another challenge.  I try to steer clear of her brilliant ideas, schemes and "learning programs" but somehow, she is contagious.  I used to think that I was motivated until Lindsay and her energy made me come face to face with my complacency.  I'm realizing that I was ok with status quo...and uh, this is not necessarily a good thing.   Apparently she wants to be in business with a partner that thinks big, dreams big oh and writes big checks (but thats another story).



     Lindsay is forcing me to read..I am reading this great book upon her recommendation, and I'm actually enjoying what I am learning.  Before I say more, I have to tell you how I read.  I look at all of the chapter titles and then skip around to the ones that I think are the most interesting (don't tell her that).  So in this book titled "mentored by a millionaire" and I skipped to chapter 2 where he has a personality profile "test" to take and then he explains what all of the different personalities mean.  I thought this looked like the only fun part in the book...anyway...If anyone is wondering, I am dominantly "golden retriever" with a subdominant type of "lion".  To put it simply I am a sweet easy going door mat that will jump up and bite your head off if you ask me too many questions, I will always put your needs first, unless my patience has worn out then I will demand that you organize your cupboards and while I listen to you complain, but I will respond with encouraging words.  Wow, I am seriously neurotic!!!

     So when I first started thinking about all of this "personality stuff", I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and REALLY think about it.

     Of course for me, that means dragging my husband into it as a guinea pig and then helping him to learn.   (by this I mean telling him all the ways that he is wrong and I am right).  But for real, what is hitting me all of a sudden, is that we are all different.  WOW you say, big revelation!!  Maybe this is not earth shattering to you, but for me, it kind of is...



 We are all different, not wrong, not right, just different.



We should all be able to read that a couple of times, and I should end here, but the Lion in me just cant do it...Sorry.

     I like to be right.  (again that pesky Lion!) I have a hard time admitting that I am wrong (big surprise to my husband...the analytical Beaver!) This is not a great trait!!  I don't like to talk on the phone, I don't like a lot of information.  I like to make a decision and be done. I sound like a real ?&*#% hu?  But you know what??  I am crazy compassionate, I will have your back no matter what.  I would give anything up for my family, and I would do anything for a friend.  I take on your grief, and your sorrow, and I would give you the shirt off my back, and the biggest check I can write along with it!!  Am I redeemed yet???

     So I guess what this all means is that we all have great weaknesses, and even greater strengths, it is all in how we use them....and...those around us have different strengths and weaknesses, and we should appreciate them!  And really, thank goodness for this fact!   How ridiculously boring would this world be if we were all the same.   How cool would it be if we all could encourage each other instead of being so judgmental and self serving.  I want to lean on my husband for his strength where I am weak, and give Lindsay control when I don't know what the heck I am doing!  Also, I am going to stop beating myself up for not having it all together.  I am designed to be a certain way and I am beginning to understand me.  Cool.  Now, what I am not saying is stay the same...be who you are...HMMMM let me see if I can say this right...be WHO you are, but a gentler, softer version of you.  If you are a "go get em and kill everyone who gets in your way" type person, CHILL...if you are a door mat, TOUGHEN UP...if you are so worried about being liked  that you stifle your logic,  SPEAK OUT.  You get what I am saying??  Use your strengths in a productive way, and recognize your weaknesses and grow from them.  We need to back up off those around us, and I think our kids should be included in this.  Just because they do things differently, does not mean they are wrong.  Lets all understand and appreciate one another instead of thinking we are right and everyone else is wrong...or is that just me???



What are your greatest strengths, and obvious weaknesses???  We want to know!!!



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