L if e s t y le
T h e N e x t C h a p te r By Sylvia Beckerman
When does the next chapter start? I confess: when I start reading a book, I sometimes peek ahead, mostly to see what is coming next. Actually at times I might even read the last page, curiosity getting the better of me
future.
Many who go through the trauma of divorce, separation, or loss are afraid to turn the page. Some even find Books are already written, themselves life, however is not. We don’t know as much about spending a lot of time re reading previous ones. Even our life and what the contents and length of any of reliving past trauma can be our chapters will be. There better than facing the stark white pages of tomorrow’s is no peeking ahead to see chapter. how scary, sad, funny, By the time we are adults, we adventuresome, or lonely have gone through so many each day will bring. chapters. We go through Additionally, we cannot each life phase from infancy predict with certainty what to toddler, preteen, opportunities our experiences and changes will teenage…. and we do it without even thinking of present. them as chapters. And yet, For so many, the unknown so many of our milestones could be the capstones for next chapter is a scary each chapter. The first date, proposition. Others find the first time you drove a car, excitement and endless the first house you bought. possibilities in the Some seamlessly lead into undiscovered
30
the next while others showcase a significant shift from the past. Twentyeight years ago, I became a divorced, single mom to two small boys. Knowing that there was no going back, no chance of waking up from what at times felt like a nightmare, I could only move forward into my next chapter. The best part is that I've discovered in my journey that it's possible to make each chapter different and some better than the last. The family dynamic had changed.