This blog is going to be about me and the transformation I am undergoing due to the grief I experienced since my husband Kevin died last year. Naturally, I have had to do things I didn’t use to do, like take out the trash. I’ve also had to do more of the chores we used to share, such as feeding the dogs or cooking or washing dishes. And I have done less of some things I used to do, like ride my motorcycle because it’s just not as fun any longer. Oh, and I’ve done some things again I hadn’t done in a long time, like coloring. But I have yet to get acquainted with this woman I am becoming, the one who wants to learn to play piano and practice yoga, for example. Now that I’m flying solo, I need to understand who I am, choose who I am becoming, think about what I want to do and where I want to go. He gave me one of the greatest of gifts – that of a new life to be designed by me now – and so as a result, I am giving myself the gift of a year – a personal, unpaid sabbatical – to just be, and to think about these big life questions. I resigned from my permanent, paid position and will be that solo-widow-single (solowing) person starting at 5:01 pm on Friday, November 20.
by Patricia Duggan