Every dark night is followed by a bright sunny day, unless you live in Norway. Sounds cliché, but consider it a tiny ray of hope or the silver lining to a cloud during your worst times. Life is all about ups and down after all; it’s never sunshine and rainbows all the time for anybody. This blog is a sequel to my last narrative titled ‘Spiraling down to the Lowest Point’ where I expressed my devastation after life gave me lemons. I didn’t fight back immediately like a champion and make lemonade, but eventually I did something better – I made lemon cake (figuratively). This is not going to be some inspiring article that gives you pointers on how to solve your problems. This is just my story of recovery, which you could relate to and perhaps attain a lesson out of it.
After Natalie left, my house was sold, and I was unemployed, days started with leftover pizza and ended with fresh pizza. In case you are wondering what happened to Delilah, I am glad to inform you that she found a nice new home. I gave her up for adoption because the poor creature deserved a loving family, and I could never provide that. I hardly left my cramped apartment and refrained from all kinds of social interaction. I did not turn to alcohol or drugs because they would rapidly deplete my savings (I have expensive taste), and obviously pizza tastes better (says the guy who claims to have expensive taste).
By the end of a month, I had ordered pizza from every joint in town and tried every kind/flavor on each menu. I could be a professional pizza critique at that point, but that career option was off the table once I realized how much weight I had gained. The next thing I did was exactly what any sane millennial would do at this point, i.e. I googled ways to get fit without going to the gym. One thing led to another, and a few hours later, I was booking plane tickets to Arizona to go hiking at the Grand Canyon.
This is not a travel blog, so I won’t get into the details of my hiking trip. However, it sure was a wonderful experience and it made me realize everything I was missing out on. It felt good to be out of work for a while and just lose myself in the gorgeous natural landscapes. The physical exertion left me in tears a few times, but it was worth every minute. I returned home as a new person after a few weeks. I treated myself with a new wardrobe and reached out to some long lost friends. It was good to have my best buddy Matthew back in my life, even though it wasn’t easy convincing him to give me another chance.
I started sending in job applications and received a few offers from law firms across the state. I referred to some lawyer friends for advice, so they helped me narrow down my options. Matthew even suggested that I should start my own firm, but I am not ready for that kind of commitment. With a little encouragement from my newfound peers, I dived into the dating pool. I was surprised to meet so many down to earth women for a change. I also adopted a rescue German Shepherd from the animal shelter in town. I shall end this blog post by saying that I am happy and doing better than ever. I am surrounded by people who genuinely care for me, and everything I do today is for myself. I feel so calm and light; I feel like a child with wings.
