Adventures of an Auntie

Just a short note today to share an inner monologue that I have almost daily with myself, especially on days that life is good. That thought is…thank goodness he left! In 2020 my life as I knew it flipped upside down and here I am 4 years later saying, thank goodness he left? I sound like a crazy person right?

Let me explain, this morning as I boarded a plane, took my seat in FIRST class and was handed a mimosa, I momentarily flashed back to my life 5 years ago. I thought about that girl that I was, the girl that I lost in 2020. I actually think about her a lot! I think about all the hours she worked trying to make ends meet and never quite getting there. I think about how she had no idea how bad her marriage was, how abusive it was….verbally, emotionally and financially. Lucky for her she got out after just one episode of physical abuse. Some girls aren’t so lucky. Why did I stay for so long? Well as a good friend once put it, “you can’t read the label when you are inside the jar”. That is the only answer I have when someone asks me that question. I couldn’t see it from inside and sadly I probably would never have left on my own. I wasn’t strong enough, I couldn’t be the one to leave.

So today I take a look at my life, sitting in first class, sipping a mimosa, headed to Greece for 2 weeks. (And not an hour of overtime to get here!!) That is when I say to myself….Thank goodness he left me!!

It has been 4 years and I have crossed off 4 new countries and 7 new states off my bucket list. I got my dream job to help me ease into an early retirement and I met the most amazing man that has shown me what love is supposed to look like. So today as I sit in the airport waiting for my next flight I think about all the hard work, the sacrifice, the heartbreak, and the tears it took to get to who I am today and I realize it was all worth it. Every single moment, even the bad ones. My dreams are no longer dreams, they are reality! I made it happen! This is truly what freedom and gratitude looks like. I will forever be thankful and incredibly grateful at how unbelievably blessed I am.

I may not be where I want to be, but I am thankful for not being where I used to be–Habeeb Akande

There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind—CS Lewis