Why not take the High Road?

Apr 09, 2013

I have been talking about my sister, Chica, and the fact that she is getting married this year to her new partner Majorgirlfriend. Many fans have asked questions about it on FaceBook, and with my sister’s permission I’ll try to answer them. First, yes, Chica and Majorgirlfriend are nicknames. Neither of them is “famous”, so I try to leave my friends and loved ones their anonymity if so requested. It’s also one of the reason that I don’t talk about my daughter, Trinity, very often. I want her to have her own life and privacy and I just can’t decide how much of me sharing will interfere with that, so I choose caution. Second question asked, Chica has been “divorced” from her partner of thirteen years for two years now, so no, she’s not rushing into things with the new person. Third question, yes her ex is/was Meerkatfeinated, who has gone on to another job and a new girlfriend of her own. I hope that Meerkatfeinated is as happy with her new relationship as my sister is with hers, but as our friendship did not survive I do not know for certain. Before someone asks, yes I do miss the friendship when it worked, but I do not miss the parts that did not work between us, and that would eventually make it impossible for the friendship to survive. I believe that Meerkatfeinated would probably say the same of me.
Several people on FaceBook have given me brownie points for taking the high road about the divorce and the break up of the friendship, as if they expect me to be mean about it. I wasn’t mean about my divorce from my own ex-husband over a decade ago, why would I be horrible now, about this? Let me say, that there were negative moments on all sides, and hurt feelings, and anger, we are all human after all, but that doesn’t mean we have to be petty, or cruel. For my own first marriage, my ex and I agreed never to bad mouth each other in front of our daughter, and we haven’t. Trinity didn’t get the divorce, we did, so as much as possible we have tried to make it not her problem. I saw too much of people using the children badly in divorces as I grew up to ever want to inflict that on my own child.
I know there was pain for both my sister and her ex partner. It’s normal and just part of the process. I sincerely wish Meerkatfeinated well in her new life, just as I wished my own ex-husband well. He’s been remarried for over a decade himself now, I think, or close to, and I can only hope he is half as happy as I am.
I guess I can understand being horrible if the ex is abusive, or truly monstrous, but I genuinely have never understood how you can go from loving someone to hating them so quickly. The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. Hate, or anger, means you still have issues to work.
I believe that the energy you put out into the world is what comes back to you, so if you are bitter about a divorce and wish bad things for your ex, then that’s what you’ll get from the universe. I don’t see the point to that. I would rather try to let go of any ill-feelings and truly move forward to a better and more positive place. I’m not saying it’s easy, or there aren’t moments when old feelings rise, or issues are hit, but if I hadn’t cared for everyone involved it wouldn’t have mattered, and it did matter, so there is pain, but when the choices are right the pain eases and you truly do get better, do better, and find out happiness not only is possible, but there may be more of it out there waiting for you all to find it. It’s just that sometimes you can’t find it together, but separately your dreams, your future, is waiting for both of you.

5 thoughts on “Why not take the High Road?”

  1. Laurell, love is never easy, same sex or other wiae. what you said is all true. There are no easy answerwers or platitudes to give. Even if you are a brilliant righter. I hope you can read this because my laptop is being a total bitcc.

  2. IYou’re absolutely right. The less stress and pain you can have, the better. Thanks!

  3. Wisdom is knowing when you’ve crossed between love, loyalty, and trying your best… and emotional suicide. What is “being dramatic,” and what is recognizing a pattern? The most noble of intentions for keeping a relationship in limbo can mean the progressive death of one or both parties. The strength to step out from in front of that crashing train is itself staggering, the way forward unclear, the recovery slow, but the result worth attaining. If we could skip to the next chapter to find out what the correct answer was all along! And we don’t get erasers and rewrites.

    I spent many hours reading and re-reading Anita and Merry over a decade of marriage. At times, they were my only close friends, and I did not feel shorted. I fought the good fight, and I left knowing in my heart that I gave my all in years of love, loyalty, and determination. From Laurell and her characters, I have learned to give more, but also to define myself in what I will not sacrifice to “change.” My sanity, my hope, my faith, and my future are mine. I will rebuild. I wish well for him… and want him to do well those few states away.

  4. Very well put. Divorce is a very trying time. It can bring out the evil in people. I struggled through mine. But we both know we made the best choice for our kid. And in the she ended up with two very supportive parents.

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