Life is, to put it quite simply, completely unpredictable. My life took a sharp turn when my middle-aged husband left me for one of his starry-eyed twenty-something-year-old bartender groupies. With my heart crushed into pieces after a failed marriage and my identity in shambles, I decided to pick up my life and travel around the world. I headed to New Zealand to say one last goodbye to my Kiwi in-laws, then took a solo journey through the South Pacific.
When I arrived, I made a conscious decision not to talk about the reasons why we had broken up and instead focused my energy on “my role” in the marriage, the lessons I had learned from the breakup, and the steps I would take to better my soul and rebuild my life.
While my mother-in-law kept probing me for the reasons why we had broken up, I said nothing. And even though deep down I wanted to scream, “Your son is a coke addict and alcoholic,” I knew that the information would only hurt her. It was pointless. There was nothing that any of us could do and he didn’t want to go to rehab so like a “good enabler” who actually learned something in Al-Anon, I realized it was time to accept my new life and move on ... one day at a time.
As my eighty-year-old mother-in-law stared at me with her deeply soulful blue eyes, she said, “I want to give you something.” Known for unloading gifts, heirlooms, and other random items, I said, “I would prefer not to take anything while I’m traveling—I’m just thankful to be here with you and your family.” When I looked down, in her hand was a blue marble, the kind you get out of a toy machine. She looked me straight in the eye and said, “This is for you. Remember darling, what comes around goes around.” At first I didn’t understand what she meant, but I knew at some point her words would have meaning. My eyes welled up in tears. “Thank you!” I said. “This is one of the most precious gifts I’ve ever received.” I truly meant it.
