You Have Definite Ideas On This
It’s like a “Twilight Zone” episode.
You wake up one day and you’re single. No husband or no wife next to you in bed. Without all the mess of a divorce, you’re Suddenly Single. Dream or a nightmare? Here are your thoughts:
Trisha: “I have dreams about being single. I was so young and stupid when I got married I didn’t realize what I was giving up - the fun, the lack of responsibility, the flirtations, the opportunities to grow. I could go on and on.
“It’s not like I don’t like my husband. He’s a good guy, but there is so much more to life that I would love to experience that he keeps me from. I’d love to go and live in Europe for a couple of years. He thinks I’m kidding. He refuses to take me seriously. I would love to go to medical school if I wasn’t tied to a stupid job because of our mortgage. I’d like to take a year off and just travel around the country, doing odd jobs and then moving on. He’s too involved in his career to even consider it.
“My situation isn’t bad enough to get divorced, but if my husband suddenly disappeared, I’d be happy.”
Leslie: “I waited for Mr. Right and when he came along I didn’t let go and I never would. Not every day of our marriage is perfect, but I couldn’t imagine anyone else in his spot. And believe me, I’ve thought about a few of my old boyfriends since I’ve been married, and I’m glad they’ve become old boyfriends.
“My husband skipped his family reunion to visit my grandmother in the hospital and watch our new puppy who had a parasite. I’ve been blessed.”
Susan: “I’d love to marry again the man I married. He is so much better than the man he has become. When we got married, my husband was my best friend. We did everything together. We used to read books together and then talk about them. We enjoyed plays, opera, the symphony. We’d find interesting things to do on the weekends, side trips and fairs. We’d stay at bed-and-breakfasts. All my friends envied me. He’d even go shopping with me.
“Now, I can barely get him to get off the sofa to go to bed. He just lays there all night, from the time he comes home from work, remote in one hand, watching television. He even eats dinner in front of the TV and usually falls asleep there. I keep telling him this is no life. I’m going crazy with boredom. I get tired of either doing everything on my own or with my girlfriends. He doesn’t seem to care. We can’t afford a divorce, we can barely afford to stay married, or I would be out of here.”
Kathy: “I would marry the same guy in a second! After nearly 15 years of marriage, three kids, a dog and a mortgage, I’m more in love than the day I said ‘I do.’
“When John and I met, I was a single 18-year-old living on my own. John was 21 and still living at home with his parents. I happened to have furnace trouble and John was the repairman. By the time my furnace was fixed - it was a complicated problem and took four hours - I felt like I had known him for a very long time. Before leaving my house, John asked my father if he could take me out. Can you believe it? I thought it was pretty corny, but I was also touched. Even before our date, I knew that he was the man I would marry. I even called my mom and told her, I was that sure.
“After 15 years, the thoughtful, caring, honest and hard-working guy I married has become a wonderful husband and father who owns his own heating and air conditioning business. It was fate and a junky old oil furnace that brought us together.”