One of the hardest questions after losing a partner is not
“What happened?” It is “Who am I now?”

For decades, your identity was wrapped up in “we.” We go to
the market. We visit the grandkids. We argue about the thermostat. Then
suddenly it is just “I.” And “I” feels like a stranger.

What helps? Slowly, gently, trying on new versions
of yourself. Not replacing your partner. Not forgetting. Just
discovering what is still there.

• Go to
  a movie alone. It will feel strange. That is okay.
• Join a
  group where no one knows you were part of a couple. A painting class. A
  walking group. A volunteer shift.
• Ask
  yourself: What did I enjoy before we became “we”? And try
  that thing again.

You are not starting over. You are carrying everything you
learned from that Love into a new chapter. That is not loss. That is
inheritance.

Originally Published on https://boomersnotsenior.blogspot.com/

Royce Shook Blogger

I served as a teacher, a teacher on Call, a Department Head, a District Curriculum, Specialist, a Program Coordinator, and a Provincial Curriculum Coordinator over a forty year career. In addition, I was the Department Head for Curriculum and Instruction, as well as a professor both online and in person at the University of Phoenix (Canada) from 2000-2010.

I also worked with Special Needs students. I gave workshops on curriculum development and staff training before I fully retired