The Appearance

I didn't think it would happen...but it did. I was going along my happy way, down life's path, looking neither right or left. I knew where I was going and this was the path that would get me there. All I had to do was pay attention to the caution signs of life. Which, coincidently, look a lot like traffic signs.

Caution signs they're called. They are there to warn us of obstacles in our path. There so we can be prepared and take evasive action. Bump, dip, sharp turn, or winding road. Divided highway, merging traffic, or flash flood area. I've seen them all and made it through.

Then one day a new sign appeared. CAUTION: Fork Ahead! What?!!!! That's not supposed to be there. I'm going this way. Not that. Which way do I go now?

My fork has a name. Its name is Divorce. A very nice word for a very ugly situation. Yes, after fifteen years of marriage and three children, I am getting divorced.

You may think I'm hurt. I'm not. You may think I'm mad. I'm not. What am I?

LOST!

How do I support my children if he doesn't pay child support? How do I support myself without any certification for any type of job? How do I tell my children? How do I find my way back to who I am? Who am I at all? What do I do now?

All these questions went through my head. They've kept me awake. They've woken me from a deep sleep. Constantly on my mind day and night. Night and day. Then it hit me. That fork in the path. That's my path. That's me. That's who I am.

All this time I've been being taken for a ride. I went where you went. Did what you wanted. I was never in the driver's seat. Every dip, twist, turn, or bump I hit was on your road. Not mine. I've just been riding shotgun.

You know that big black truck in your review mirror? The one with the flashers on coming up on your bumper fast? That's me. I'm in the driver's seat. CAUTION!