I find myself
comparing my viewpoints with some of my fellow students on all manner of issues. They think they know everything and have
their future all planned out. Well, I am
here to tell them that life does not always go smoothly and no matter how
intelligent you are, or how much planning you do for the future, NOTHING ever
goes according to plan in life.
When I was 19 I was married and had a lucrative career
working with my husband in advertising.
At 22, my husband died of cancer and I was suddenly a widow. At 25, I married a man 17 years older than me
and put my career on hold to raise two sons.
When my boys were in school full time, I returned to work. At 35, after 10 years of extreme physical, mental and verbal spousal abuse, I escaped with my sons and what we could
carry. We slept on the floor till I
found full time work. Did this take
courage? You bet it did! Did this make me grow up in a hurry? You bet it did! Did it give me a very different perspective
on life from others my age….you bet it
did!
Returning to school at an older
age is not all negative! One of
the benefits of being surrounded by younger classmates is that I get to see educated
minds at work. It keeps my own mind
young and in tune with society. I love
being involved with social media. I love
sitting back and listening to students discuss their “problems” and thinking of
how I wish I could trade problems with them.
I love living the life of a “normal” college student vicariously. My fellow
students are fine young people who will continue to grow and mature into even
finer adults.
Onward and upwards to
the future.
The older I get, the more I'm starting to see that you really can't plan for anything. It's kind of sad that life throws things at you that you never expected and you're just supposed to "figure it out", but I guess that keeps life interesting. Thanks for sharing such a personal experience Wendy.
ReplyDeleteWow Wendy, you have gone through a lot. Glad you had the strength to get out when you could. No one deserves to be treated like that. Thank you for sharing. Hearing experiences like yours will help us all as we get into the "real world". Never give up and stand for what you believe in is a great message to get out to everyone.
ReplyDeleteHey Wendy, first things first. Great job on getting the heck out of that abusive marriage, many people don't have the courage to do it but you did. Your children must be proud having such a courageous and dedicated mother.
ReplyDeleteI certainly admire your ability to find a positive aspect in a negative situation. It truly inspires me to start doing the same. Thanks for the insight Wendy.
You Go Girl!