“You will die if you are not loved, start by loving who you are.” ..Marilyn
It was such a beautiful day today, a walk in the park was a must. The inner-monologue about dating was running through my head. How frustrating it is to meet such a fine specimen of mankind (in a uniform..*O_o*) just to find out he wanted a ‘tart’ not the ‘whole pie’!
At least, my moral compass is in the right direction and I wished him luck and walked away.
As I was walking along, it was uplifting to be greeted by the couples that were passing by. I could feel that they understood what it was to just spend time together and enjoy the moments in the day. I could feel that and was hopeful for my own retired life to find that tranquility with someone. Just to grow old with someone.
Then came along Marilyn and her dog and I could hear her little white dog yapping from the distance as my walking approached her. Once I got close enough, of course I fell in love with her not-so-cute dog. The poor thing had clumps of fur missing from its face, feet, tail. It was just so freaking excited to be there and was so full of adventure. I couldn’t help but start small talk with his owner.
I mentioned that I was thinking of getting a dog for my kids but decided to wait until they were older to really make it a perfect match. She agreed with me and we talked about dog ownership and the responsibilities that come with caring for an animal. The conversation transitioned to having kids and not everyone wants or is ready to have them, including her daughter. She said men don’t want the responsibility of children but times are changing and it’s confusing them because the roles are changing so drastically. After I told her a bit of my dating dilemmas, she assured me that the right one will come along.
When we talked about being a single parent, it was then I realized…she was there to inspire me.
What I learned from her was: It’s ok to cry and walk away from something/someone that you are not happy with no matter how old you are. Marilyn spoke about how she was raised to be ‘death do us part’ and stayed in a marriage for 44 years before she decided that she had enough.
Her decision to leave was painful just like mine but after her four children were out of the nest, she wasn’t ready to live her retirement with someone she wasn’t happy with. She said that this is becoming more common but still a social stigma that holds people back from talking about it. Her husband died shortly after because he couldn’t live with love or live without it. She wasn’t going to wait to die with him if he didn’t want to live for himself. Now she is enjoying her life to the fullest and has no regrets.
When her children asked her if she will ever remarry, her answer was… “No..all I need to do, is go out on a Saturday night long enough to get my ‘oil changed’ and drive myself home” ….Good for you Marilyn!!!
I couldn’t help but laugh and share a smile with her.
So the moral of the story is live life in love…whether it’s for you or with someone else!
Self-respect means knowing yourself and allowing change to happen to be happy…...
Even if it’s an 'oil change' on a Saturday night!
