A week ago, judge signed decree. Out $3K for lawyer, my half of the house and half my pension. Kept my separate property and it's income and the small business I built. I'm excited. It's an adjustment (I'm 55), but I know I'll get there.

We were separated 8 months before divorce. I'm working on getting rid of the various coping mechanisms I developed while we were married. It's a process. I feel like I'm getting back to my true self..who I was before I got married in some ways. I can't take off 30 years of aging, but I can work on my physical self as well.

It does get better. I held my tongue repeatedly during the separation to reduce drama to help the process go easier. Keeping my eye on the prize was not easy, but it paid off. The settlement could have been much worse.