once upon a time...

there was a girl who she had it all...

loving husband, great kids, the leisure to live as she pleased and the ability to dream and to make it come true.

then one by one, the bits of her life she used to define herself disappeared or changed beyond recognition.

her loving husband died in spirit and became a stranger.

her girls grew up and became strangers.

a stranger came and became a friend and lover.

her dreams started to fade and reality started to seep in, bone chillingly cold.

her eyes sharpened and, like eating the fruit of knowledge she gained knowledge of self and realized that she was 'naked'...

...naive...

...sheltered...

that the conventions she had used all of her life were not enough to help her survive the journey that was ahead of her.

but she took the first step anyway.

..then another...
...then another....
.....then another.....


with every step, the journey was less scary. with every victory over a trial, the road ran smoother, more manageable

more enjoyable.

then one day, after 18 months of fighting and trudging and crying and whining and taking steps, she paused and looked around and gained the wisdom of her situation and realized that:

...her former husband realized where he went wrong but started to accept that their life together was altered forever....

...that her kids were trying to find their own way and like her were scared and felt unprepared, but were taking their journey step by step as well, but they realized that, unlike her, they have a strong support at their side and feel free to cut up, knowing that she won't let them fall too hard or too far...

...a man who thought himself unlikeable and unlovable, too selfish to care for another has dedicated himself to her to the point long past the point he would have stopped for anyone else...

...her loves and dreams still live and the hardest part is nearly over...

simply put, she looked back and realized how far she has come.

and it strengthen her for the rest of the journey.