I had another anniversary of sorts this week. As of this week, I've been legally divorced for a year. It's crazy to think about ending fertility treatments just 5 years ago, selling our house 4 years ago, and now... I'm divorced.
I loved being married and then overnight I knew it wasn't a good marriage for me.
Except it wasn't overnight of course.
He and I had a long history. Love at first sight, dated? Friends for a long time, stayed in touch off and on, reconnected, dated for real, loved each other, got married.
But we didn't live happily ever after. Well, not together anyway.
I knew where I was compromising, but I chose to get married anyway. I wanted him to be the father of my children. I loved him and I loved being married. But it wasn't easy. I was lonely a lot.
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes infertility. I will always be thankful he was there for me. He did everything I asked even though, like most people, doctors' offices were one of his least favorite places. He sat with me who-knows-how-many times as I cried. Then we made new plans together and worked toward completely changing our lives.
But then, over a matter of months, everything changed. The closer we got to moving out of state, the more unexplainably angry he got. When it came down to it, I don't think he wanted to move as much as he/we thought he wanted to move.
He was the man I married, the man I chose to be the father of my children. When our children never came, it turned out he and I actually wanted very different things out of life. While my marriage got me through infertility, my marriage did not survive infertility.
There were several arguments leading up to me leaving him. The first one was bad, but I chalked it up to the stress of moving. The second one was also bad. It was only a month after the first argument and it really made me think. The third argument... Honestly? I went to bed. I was so tired and so sad. But I was also so, so over it. I knew I was done.
In a way, I did know almost overnight. It sucked and I didn't want to leave him, but I also didn't want to stay married to him. I knew I'd figure it out, one step at a time. I knew I'd survive getting divorced.
Over the course of deciding to leave him, telling him, separating our stuff, dealing with the paperwork, and seeing him for the last time, I felt every single emotion possible. Except regret.
Now it has been a year. And we are in the middle of a global crisis. And all I can think about is how crazy everything is and how relieved I am to be divorced. I'm infertile and I'm divorced and I'm content. It's weird. Infertility and divorce refocused me. I know what's important to me in my life now. Infertility and divorce took all of my fucks. I have none left to give.
On the surface, I am currently anxious and worried. This pandemic and all of the changes it's causing are extremely stressful. Everything is at risk- our health, the economy, social norms, life as we knew it.
But deep down, I also have a hardened resolve. I may hate what's going on, but I'll get through it.
So here's to a year of divorce and to the gratitude I've cultivated for life's hardest learned lessons.
Yes, it is horrible at the moment, but deep down you have a very strong sense of self and calm and balance, by the sound of it. I love that you never felt regret, and that - even in the midst of all this - you feel content. So do I say, happy divorsary?
ReplyDeleteSo horrible in the moment. But never regret...
DeleteI will take your well wishes. :) Thank you Mali.
You've been through some major stress these past few years! Not all marriages survive infertility and its fallout, sadly. The fact that you don't feel any regrets says a lot, I think. And yes, as much as current events suck, it's kind of like we've had a dress rehearsal for having our lives thrown off track, right? Here's hoping the next year keeps getting better!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the validation. I feel like I've had some major stress...
DeleteBut the upside is I am well-practiced at managing stress. I may not like it, but I can do it fairly well now.
Yes, here's to hoping for this next year! Here's to hoping things get better on a global level. <3
I've been sitting with this one. I am glad that you don't have regret, but man you've had a lot of trauma in a short space of time, even if it led to life with way less fucks. :) I did not go through a divorce after infertility, but I did before meeting Bryce and going through infertility, and while it is so not the same thing, I do truly believe that divorce can be an amazingly freeing thing, and help you to see what you truly deserve. It sucked going through a divorce, even though he was terrible and it was a very, very bad marriage, but I learned a lot from that experience, including what was truly important to me, and it sounds like it did that for you, too. I hope that the future brings you more of what makes you happy and fulfilled. Happy anniversary! (OH HOLY JEEZUM, I just realized that the anniversary of my divorce is also in April...I never think about it but it is! Another odd coincidence...)
ReplyDeleteHang on! April is almost over!! :)
DeleteYeah, divorce is hard. And infertility sucks. And it's all just so much. Life just isn't easy and there are no guarantees. So much love to give, so much loss experienced. So much learned.
I'm incredibly thankful for our community. I think everyone has really helped. <3