What's the worst thing that has ever happened to you as a person?
I have never considered anything in life to be "bad" or "worse" than anything else in life because I believe that everything that happens in life is meant to happen for a reason and to teach a lesson. If I had to choose one instance that caused the most growth, I would say my divorce from my husband. Short story is that I was a stay at home wife and he chose to walk away from our marriage and pursue a relationship with another woman. I hadn't worked in a couple of years so I had to find a job in order to pay bills. And, emotionally, I needed to recover from not feeling like enough. What I have realized is that I needed to learn to love myself before I could learn to love others again. I learned that his choice to walk away was HIS choice and had really nothing to do with me. That experience taught me so much and set me on a journey of self-discovery that I am incredibly grateful for. I have taken a direction in life that I never thought I would and it would not have happened if he had stayed in our marriage.
I can think of a lot of difficult things I have faced in life. I agree with you that defining something as "worse" may not be the best idea. And I agree that there is something to learn from every life experience.
One of the most recent challenging times I faced was moving back to the States after having lived in Indonesia for more than 10 years. My wife and I moved there as a couple and we came back with 5 kiddos. Indonesia was there home. It was the place that held most of their memories. It was a place that my wife and I had learned to love deeply.
When we came back, we experienced severe reverse culture shock. I fell into depression and for a while just struggled to have joy. Not only did we lose our friends and home, but I also lost my job. I realized that I had placed a lot of focus of who I was as a person in that job.
Then I found Steem (free therapy as I create content) and found a new job. Had another kiddo (our first son). Life is still challenging, but I have grown. My faith has been stretched. It has not been a fun ride for the last 3 years or so, but I believe it has been the right journey for my family and me.
Thank you for opening up about your journey. I hope you are in a good place now. Blessing to you and great success for the future.
Keep Steeming!
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Congratulations! You will love being single once you get used to it. Far fewer problems! Only yourself to please! It's lovely. He did you a favor.