Navigating a Tough Time

[mike824]

Hi everyone. I normally don't post here but it's been a tough time personally and I've seen all of the wonderful support here on the boards as well as being able to give some myself. I realize that we are all humans navigating this life the best we can.

My wife recently informed me the she wants to end our marriage. While an amicable split, it has devastated my world. We have 3 daughters together and it's been hard on them, which is very upsetting. On top of this, I've been taking my Dad to his appointments as he goes through treatment for prostate cancer. Thankfully, it's not aggressive and he's going to be fine with treatment but it's a lot of back and forth to the doctor right now. Just getting fatigued from everything.

Trying to navigate a separation is hard but with inflation plus the ridiculous cost of living in New Jersey, I can't even afford a 1-bedroom apartment and I make decent money as a Director for a Peer Mental Health facility.

I am meeting with a friend/work colleague on Monday to try and apply for some affordable apartments here in my county. I am hopeful that this can lead to a solution.

Some days feel okay and others not so much. I have faith that things will work out in the end and even though my marriage is ending, I have 3 great kids and my wife and I are committed to being friends and co-parents which is a silver lining.

I'm gonna try to dive into my Legends fed a little bit this weekend as it's always been a good stress reliever in the past. I'm currently running a full territory system and I'm hoping that it will be a good lift to my spirits.

Thank you for letting me share. I appreciate the space. Also, for those of you going through tough circumstances, I want to be here for you too. Please don't hesitate to ever reach out if needed.

Thanks again,

Mike

[topdollar]

Sorry to hear about what you're going though, Mike.

I know it seems like life has a way of piling one thing after another on us.

I know it can be hard sometimes, but I always try to think of the Howard Jones song "Things Can Only Get Better".

Best of luck to you, your kids, and your father.

[paul]

Hi Mike:

Sorry to hear about your marriage ending. It's nice to hear that you and your wife plan on keeping things civilized; I've had numerous friends and co-workers go through ugly divorces and sadly it's usually the kids who end up getting hurt in those situations.

I hope your father's health improves. Good to hear that his condition is treatable.

Best of luck with the house-hunting.

Hang in there and keep those dice rolling whenever you get a chance.🙂

[mike824]

Thank you so much for the encouragement topdollar & paul. Went back to work today for the first time in about 2 weeks. Feels good to be around people again. Just giving it my best, one day at a time.

[gamtime247]

That’s all you can do is take it one day at a time, Mike. It’s good to see you’re being mindful of your children during an extremely difficult time. We’re all the people we are today because of our experiences. Do the best that you can to learn from this experience and have it mold your future because of it.

[TTX]

Best thoughts. Life often throws us many obstacles but with support we can often get past them. Good luck.

[mike824]

Appreciate you all so much! From the bottom of my heart thank you!

[mike824]

Update: Back at work for a couple of days now and that's helping a lot. Still have those emotional moments but I'm thankful for a good support system at work. They're like extended family and I'm very grateful.

Continuing my search for some new housing so hopefully we'll make some strides tomorrow afternoon during my appointment with the housing coordinator.

My youngest daughter is currently really enjoying wrestling. Her favorite is Cody Rhodes so we've been watching Cody matches before bedtime. Makes my heart smile.

Navigating my divorce has been amicable and my soon to be ex-wife and I are making strides as friends and co-parents. It's hard but I think we'll be a great unified front for our kids.

Overall, even though my heart hurts I'm thankful for the silver linings.

I'm also very thankful for all of you here with the boards. Thank you for your support.

[on_the_edge]

As they say life is about ups and downs. The downs suck but make us appreciate the ups more. Affordable housing is an issue all over these days. I think the bubble will bust sooner or later. Hopefully sooner. Been thru two divorces myself. Just remember it is just the end of a chapter in your life which means the start of a new chapter. It is great you and your youngest have wrestling to bond over. If you do not have something like that with your other two I would suggest finding it. Even if it is something they like more than you do just give it a try. It will be worth the effort as I am sure you know. Keep positive thoughts and I am sure things will get better for you and your dad. Keep fighting the good fight. If you need to talk just reach out. I tend to have an uncomplicated life, ie no life, so got a decent amount of free time. Keep your focus on the silver linings. They help us thru the hard times. One last thing. Remember, if you do not like the way things are going, just reroll the dice

[mike824]

Jul 9, 2024 21:44:55 GMT -5 on_the_edge said:

As they say life is about ups and downs. The downs suck but make us appreciate the ups more. Affordable housing is an issue all over these days. I think the bubble will bust sooner or later. Hopefully sooner. Been thru two divorces myself. Just remember it is just the end of a chapter in your life which means the start of a new chapter. It is great you and your youngest have wrestling to bond over. If you do not have something like that with your other two I would suggest finding it. Even if it is something they like more than you do just give it a try. It will be worth the effort as I am sure you know. Keep positive thoughts and I am sure things will get better for you and your dad. Keep fighting the good fight. If you need to talk just reach out. I tend to have an uncomplicated life, ie no life, so got a decent amount of free time. Keep your focus on the silver linings. They help us thru the hard times. One last thing. Remember, if you do not like the way things are going, just reroll the dice

Thank you so much Martin! I appreciate you greatly. My older girls and I have some great bonds too. They are a little harder to track down nowadays with cars, jobs, and boyfriends but we've been getting some good time together. My oldest and I watch a variety of shows together ages and my middle daughter and I just shoot the breeze at dinner time which is a highlight of each day.

My Dad is doing well thank Goodness and we've been supporting each other. It's great to help him out because he's always been such a loving and present father.

Thank you again for your kind words and advice. I'm very grateful.