Friday, October 26, 2012

I did it again....

"Once in a while, in an ordinary life, LOVE gives you a Fairy Tale". 

This is another one of those "stand before you naked" blogs.  I promised myself when I started writing these that I would be honest and true.  That regardless of the situation I would tell my story, no matter how painful or embarrassing it may be...so here I go again....

Dating....I have to say that this is not an easy adventure and I am not sure that I am enjoying the experience.  I am actually questioning my sanity and whether or not it is worth continuing down this path!  There is a steep learning curve on this dating thing, and just when I think I might have it the curve shifts and I fall off.  Yet, for some reason I continue to move down this slippery slope....

So, I did it again....I fell again....and this time I fell harder than the first....I met someone that at first I said no to.  Why did I say no?  Because he is 6'4 and for those that don't know me I am all of 4'10 (and a half!).  I told him I couldn't meet him because he is a foot and a half taller than me and I was sure I would look like a little kid next to him.  One Saturday morning one of my friends and I were talking about this situation as we walked around the Farmer's Market. She was trying to convince me that I shouldn't turn someone down because of his height.  There happened to be a man about that height nearby, so I looked at her and said "Let me demonstrate".  I sauntered over to this man, stood next to him, turned around and smiled.  My friend couldn't help but laugh.  She agreed that I did indeed look tiny....but still said that I should take a chance....

As this guy was trying to convince me to meet him, he suggested that we go out to dinner sometime and he could sit across from me where he wouldn't look so tall and we could discuss this height issue I had.  He said that way I "could try on the shoe to see if it fit (fairy tale reference)"....how sweet was THAT?  Given the fact that he didn't give up when I said no, and instead took it as a challenge, he wore me down and even after everything I have been through I still believe in fairy tales and happy endings, so I decided to take that chance....

It didn't take long for me to realize that this man was someone that I wanted to get to know better.  He talked with such pride about his children, which was one of the first things to make me soften.  He would text me good morning and call me regularly.  In the beginning we would talk for hours, sometimes we would just sit in silence on the phone and somehow that was never uncomfortable.  He had this way of looking at me that made me feel like I was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.  He looked at me with a smile on his face at the end of our first meeting and said "What's the date? September 1st, remember this date, it is going to be a good one for both of us!".  When he kissed me for the first time I have to admit, it was one of the most incredible kisses I have ever had....I floated through the rest of the day with a smile on my face....

For our second date he made dinner for me.  We had an awesome night.  We talked about dating and the fact that he hadn't dated for a while because he had decided to get a dog.  I joked and told him to let me know if and when my status was more important than the dogs.  I really liked spending time with him.  He just felt....right.  For as big as that shoe was, I liked the way it seemed to fit.  However, what I didn't realize was that the shoe I was trying on was a running shoe....

What happened?  I....have....no....idea....  The last time I saw him he talked about "the next few times we get together"....and I haven't seen him since then.  I left his house that last time feeling like things were good, feeling confident that he would not do the same thing to me as the other men I had met had done, and that was to just disappear.  I must be really naive, because that is exactly what happened. 

The hardest part for me is the lack of closure, the fact that I don't know WHY he never called again.  I don't understand how you can look at someone the way he looked at me, talk about "the next few times", tell me that "there is definitely a physical attraction" and then just be gone.  He seemed to have such integrity, I truly didn't see it coming.  I realized the other day that part of what makes this so hard is because with Brian I didn't have a choice, I had NO control over the situation.  It didn't matter WHAT I did, because there was nothing I could do to save him.  With dating, I keep wondering "what if I had done this", "should I have done that?", "maybe I shouldn't have done this".  The woulda, coulda, shoulda's are brutal, and in the end I am left struggling, hurting and wondering what happened. 

I really (I mean REALLY!!) liked this man, and truth be told, I still do.  I miss him, and it both amazes and scares me how he got into my heart THAT fast.  I thought there was something there, like there was the potential for something real with him.  I don't want whatever it was becoming to be over.  My friends are again telling me that he isn't worth another thought, that it is his loss.  They keep telling me that I am going to kiss a lot of toads before the right man comes along.  I didn't think he was a toad....I thought he was Prince Charming....  One of my daughters asked last week "Mama, has ***** called?".  When I said no, she said "That's too bad Mama, he just doesn't know how great you really are!".  Apparently he doesn't.....let's see: dog....girlfriend....dog....girlfriend....I guess he picked the dog....

The first year is hard...the second year is harder...

The first year is hard, the second year is harder.  Just after Brian died this is what I was told by another widow.  It was the kind of encouragement I DIDN'T need.  That statement scared me half to death because I couldn't IMAGINE feeling any worse than I did at that point. As of today I am 52 days into my second year....do I think it is harder?  No, but it is different. 

Some widows have said that the second year brings on the realization that he is never coming back.  I have never questioned that....I have never expected him to walk through my front door.  I know he is gone, at least in a physical sense.  One widowed friend said that with each passing day she misses her husband more and more.  I miss Brian, but the pain of missing him has lessened. 

For me though, the second year has brought on incredible feelings of loneliness.  For as long as I can remember all I wanted was to be a wife and a mother.  I had that, and I was happy.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being a mom, I would not trade my kids for anything, but I miss being a wife.  I saw a sign the other day that said "I don't need to be a good cook, I'm a trophy wife!".  I had to laugh because I am NOT a good cook and Brian ALWAYS called me his trophy wife, in fact that is what he had programmed into his cell phone for me...Trophy Wife.  I almost bought the sign, but then I realized it didn't fit anymore...I am no longer a wife.  I don't mind being alone, but I hate being lonely.

The second year is different.  I honestly didn"t expect this.  I knew that the anniversary of his death would be hard, and it was, but I didn't expect the whole month of September to be so hard.  I couldn't wait for it to be over.  Well, we are well into October and I am still in a funk.  Maybe it is because we have the holidays just around the corner.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years...His birthday, my birthday and Tucker's birthday are all coming up quickly.  This is the year I will be the same age as Brian when he died.  He would tease me on my birthday about me getting older and I would always reply "I'll never be as old as YOU!"  This year I will be, and that hurts. 

The first year was hard.  Adjusting to life without Brian, adjusting to life as an only parent.  Accepting that this is the way it is.  The second year....well, it has only just begun, and while I am sure that I will survive the second year as I survived the first, I hope it has some better things in store for us.  I do know this....the second year is NO WHERE NEAR as hard as the first.  I am sure that along the path of widowhood in this second year that I will encounter some deep ravines, but I also know that there will be more breathtaking views.....and along the way there will be reminders of Brian and the incredible man that he was....

Say his name....

Brian.  My husbands name was Brian.  I talk about him all the time.  I do not refer to him as my "late" husband, I simply refer to him as my husband.  I talk about him in the present tense, about things he liked to do and the things he did with the kids and how he wanted to raise them.  I guess I talk about him that way because he is still here, in my heart.  He will always be in my heart.

So many people ask me how I am doing, how the kids are doing, but they don't talk about Brian.  No one wants to make me cry.  I am here to tell you that it is okay for you to talk about him.  I WANT you to talk about him.  He was my husband, my best friend, the father of my children.  There is nothing that you can say that will make me cry.....that doesn't mean I WON'T tear up, it just means that you are not the cause of those tears.  In fact, it makes me more sad when you don't mention him.  He will forever be a part of me.  He was funny and quick witted and one of the smartest people I have ever known. 

Say his name....while it may bring tears, it will also bring happiness.  Happiness at the fact that he was loved not only by me, but by others too.  He was here...he existed...he loved and was loved...he is missed.

Brian...say his name with a smile on your lips as you remember your favorite memory of him.

B - Beautiful
R - Respectful
I - Interesting
A - Amazing
N - Nice (but sometimes Naughty!)

D - Dad

P - Polite
O - Outrageous
C - Cute
H - Husband
E - Energetic
L - Loving

Brian...my husband's name was Brian...and I will love him for the rest of my life.