It started out like any other day...breakfast, my morning walk, a few phone calls, a little paper work, etc. etc.
However, on my calendar for the afternoon was a 12-5 obligation at the gallery where I am showing some of my pottery. As part of the co-op, each artist promises to put in one day working at the gallery...and, today was my turn.
In all honesty, I was begrudgingly seeing it as "something to get over with" when I arrived there at noon today. I prepared myself for a lot of sitting around as I packed up some reading as well as some snacks to "graze" on as the day went by.
Little did I know what interesting people I was about to meet...and the life stories that I was about to share. One young woman that I conversed with was a dynamic soul who wrote poetry. She seemed to have a delightful zest for life. I couldn't help but notice her bright blue eyes and big smile as she spoke to me. I had commented on the little black hat that she was wearing and she immediately told me of its story. It seems that she and her grandfather (no longer living) had shared many of the same traits in life and this seemed to please her tremendously. He sounded like an interesting and multi-faceted man and this little hat of his had become a recently acquired treasure for her.
Another conversation began with an incredibly talented artist who was there helping me "man" the store today. Energetic and charismatic, he is one of those personable people who you instantly feel as if you have known all of your life.
As the day wore on we began to share bits and pieces of our lives....most especially, our divorces. Like me, he, too, had been a part of a long term marriage that had ended about a year and a half ago. We compared "battle scars" and gave our own insights as to what had led to the demise of our unions.
As we talked about "life after divorce" I realized the similarities in people who have gone through this painful experience. The words flowed as we discussed how we were each affected by and how we were handling moving ahead. I felt like I was learning quite a bit from him as I listened to his honest and open emotions. We laughed about the "dating process" after a "later-in-life" divorce...and, I told him about having Dave in my life now.
Since I am rounding the bend on the 8th year of my divorce, my wounds have pretty much healed now. I let him know some of my philosophy of letting go of my past hurts and moving forward with a new friendship with my ex. While not an easy task at first, this decision has enriched my life and made things so much easier for both of my children. I assured him that time and patience are the most important aspect in the process of this journey of healing.
Suddenly I realized that it was 5 o'clock and my "shift" was officially over. Deep in conversation, the time had flown by...
As I gathered my belonging together, we hugged good-bye and I left with a smile on my face.
This ordinary day had turned out to be very special...and, in the process I had made a brand new friend. : )
2 comments:
Lucky you to have found such a rewarding day and taken advantage of it.
Hi Grammie,
Came across your blog through Google alerts. I was interested in your comments about healing from your divorce and wondered if I could interview you? I have a blog, Since My Divorce, which is a collection of stories from women about their divorce, what they've learned, what they've accomplished. It's a resource for women just going through divorce now and hopefully will show them that it isn't the end of the world. It sounds like you have some lessons that others would appreciate reading about.
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