21 - The Road To Contentment

This story contains characters over age 18.

My complete memoir consists of 21 Chapters. Chapters 1-9 are not included here as they depict my early childhood experiences. Please use this final recording for all comments and votes.

21 The Road To Contentment

As for what I would do, ultimately, it was about making a choice, and then making that choice over and over again, as many times as it takes, whether you believe in it or not, because you know it will allow you to maintain the life you want. I’ve changed my mind a million times. I knew there would always be temptations. It was my job as a wife to overcome those for the good of my family.
I had a friend who had been married for 21 years, and cheating for 18. He maintained that it was better that way. He had made a commitment and he intended to keep it. I wished the reality was otherwise, but since it wasn’t, I agreed. I needed to renew my efforts at a healthy relationship. I couldn’t allow myself the opportunity to fall in love with anyone else.
I liked my picturesque little life, but I also always wanted to grow. Obviously I couldn’t have everything I wanted, but there could be a balance there. I didn’t ever want to be stagnant. I needed to know that I was moving forward, conquering the world, personally, emotionally, and professionally. To that end, I needed to set goals and structure my life in a way that I could achieve those goals. Every once in a while, I needed to take a step back, appraise my life, and realize that, although I can live like there’s no tomorrow, I was still a young person with my whole life ahead of me. I had time to change everything a few times over. I have experienced enough heartache and misfortune in my young life to know that the truth is you can never really know what will come next.
I hope love and sacrifice are enough. It’s time to make it true for me. Here’s to decades of marriage and happiness, in good times and in bad, and hoping I can just keep the bad hidden away.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

This story is based on true events in my life. The opinions expressed are my own true beliefs, based on my own experiences. There are no names in this book, to protect the identities of myself and others mentioned herein. It began as a compilation of thoughts, to simply make sense of my life; a therapy of sorts. It became obvious to me that my experience, while unique, is probably not the only one of its kind. It is my desire that my life experiences and worldview can help others come to their own personal understanding of themselves, and to know that they are not alone. I would also like to offer comfort to those who find themselves in pain, being on the receiving end of a story like mine.