How This Single Mom On A Budget Lived Life To The Fullest After Divorce

"You guys, I was so poor right after I got divorced. Like, grocery-shopping-at-the-dollar-store poor. My single mama townhouse was mostly decorated with stuff people gave me or items that I picked up at Goodwill for a buck or two. One day, I found a painting that I loved: a print of a man and woman in formal attire, ballroom dancing in the rain while their maid and butler stand by with umbrellas. Not only did I love the picture, but I loved that it was double-matted in a beautiful frame. What I did not love: It cost $10. I didn’t spend $10 on anything then, including my clothes (many of which also came from Goodwill). It seemed gratuitous to purchase this thing that offered no utility other than to fill space on the wall. Still, it made me smile. With much guilt, I shelled out the 10 bucks and hung the picture in my hallway.

But get this: Remember the man who played the Barenaked Ladies for me? Well, when he played me those songs, he was sitting under this exact image, only it was hanging in his living room. He had the same picture. And yes, in what Oprah might describe as a 'full circle' experience, that man is now my fiancé. (Thank God he didn’t bust out the Miley Cyrus tunes or things may have worked out very differently.)"

"A few months after I moved into what I affectionately called the single mama townhouse, a friend sent me a photo of herself with her newly adopted little girl. I thought my heart might bust with joy when I saw it. I ended up taping it on the wall above my desk, in the cramped, cluttered corner of the kitchen that I used as my office. That photo helped remind me that the people we are going to love most in this lifetime may be people we have yet to meet. They can show up at any time and light up our whole existence."

"After my divorce, I was finally able to perfect my recipe for homemade Raisinets. It’s super easy:

1. Start with a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips
2. Add in handful of raisins
3. Shove in mouth."

"After I moved into the single mama townhouse, I found that I had time to myself for the first time in almost seven years. I was both giddy and sick over the prospect. Because of my ex’s work schedule and the tiny intersection of things that he and I both mutually enjoyed, my world had gotten smaller and smaller while I was married. I decided to use my new kid-free time to reintroduce myself to the world. I blocked out something to do on every free day: concerts, street fairs, museums, hiking, biking, whatever. Sometimes alone. Sometimes with friends. I made the commitment that I was never going to lock myself away again. It was my way of saying, 'Hello, world! I’m back!'"