Names i've been called

When i was in the second grade my Teacher, Mrs. Friedman, called me "Bold".  I remember her face while she said this but not why.  It was not a compliment or meant to encourage.  Without knowing exactly what this meant, I felt the sting.

To this day i can't imagine what quiet, scared - fade into the background MB ever could have said or done to be considered "Bold".  I was a shadow girl, never looking to be the center of attention, always afraid of what someone might think of me.

As a grown woman, I own my boldness.  I glory in its presence.  Welcome, and may you never leave my side.

I've been called "Clutzy" "Chubby" "Awkward" by my mother as i was growing up.  Never "capable" for getting myself ready for school every morning during elementary school with no parent there to assist,  "smart" for reading and understanding everything i could lay my hands on, or  "beautiful"........because i was a child who needed her mother to think so.

As a grown woman I am "not athletic", "soft and curvy", and "introverted".  This is who I am, and I own it.  I glory in the truth of how I am me.  Welcome, and may you never leave my side.

I've been called "bitch" by men who were weak and threatened by my ability to see through their bullshit.  "Fucking Bitch" by the same men, who could not control me any longer.

I am a bitch.  I will continue to be a bitch, hopefully a  bigger and better bitch every day.

Recently, I've been called "Surly" and "passive aggressive" by a man at work who does not actually work with me.  I had previously held respect for this man, until his name calling made me realize his weakness, and his own inability to lead.  How enlightening, and disappointing coming an educated man.

I am "assertive" and "not afraid of conflict", which means, i will not sit silently by and be maligned.  Period.  Bullies come in all shapes and sizes, at home, in public and at work.  I was scared by them as a child, but I am no longer a child.  I am a grown woman.

I do not accept abuse quietly.  Never. Again.  Welcome, strong, opinionated and sometimes wrong woman.  May you never leave my side.

I've been called "cunt", "asshole", "Fat", "stupid", "crazy"........to my face.  I'm sure i've been called more behind my back.  I've earned a few, i've been unjustly accused of others.....I do not accept any as a self identifying characteristic.

I am a grown woman, who loves hard, who is afraid of trusting, who works hard, who is afraid of not being appreciated, who loves alone time, who is afraid of being alone.  I am lazy, yet driven.  I am many many things and I am not defined by what others call me.

I am Maribeth.  Welcome, may you never leave my side.

New Year New Me....LOL

Will there ever be a time of 100% satisfaction with my life?  If i'm happy with work, my personal life seems lacking.  When my personal life is full and happy, Work is giving me issues.  Is this just the way we go?  Always looking for the next situation that needs improving or expansion?

I'm doing the thing that I always thought would be the worst.  Living alone.  The thought always filled me with sadness, a certain desperation that anything would be better than being alone.  And then one day i realized i craved it, instead of fearing it.  I finally started learning instead of trying to assert my will on people to be what i needed and wanted them to be.  I started being the person i need most.  It hasn't been easy.  I'm a tough customer. 

In realizing that I needed to have my own space, where i answered to no-one but myself (and the landlord, bill collectors and employer) I literally felt a deep sadness in me release.  No more laying my needs at the feet of others to fulfill.  No more expectations of my happiness coming from another persons need of me, love of me, wanting of me.  I stood up and took it on, finally.  For so long others have been my backbone and my measure of self worth.  Not all have been worthy themselves, to hold this much power over my vision of self.  I made poor choices and good ones.  I learned hard lessons and grew solid and dependable relationships.  I learned that physically living alone in my own space does not mean being alone.  Early on I learned how living with someone can be the loneliest experience in life but i was missing the obvious other side to that truth; that living alone can be the fullest and most satisfying experience to have.

My space.  Only myself (and Miyagi) to consider.  Do i want a comfy reading chair in the kitchen?  Yes.  Yes i do.  Do i want fragile items in high traffic areas?  yes.  White fur (fake), flowers, all the colors of the rainbow and mismatched furniture and decorations that make perfect sense to me?  yes.  My own style of clutter and everything having its place.  My living space represents what is in my head, and heart.  It represents the small storm of chaos that still takes place in my mind, probably always will.  Because, that is who i am and how i live. 

I have no control over my dreams, so i flow with them now.  I no longer wake and become upset over what my mind seems to need to replay for me over and over....what message am i giving myself?  What am i supposed to be understanding?  The full moon corresponds with my dreams....leaving me a witness to them not a participant.  Why is he here with me, again?  Or any of the "he's" that have covered my past?  What message am i to understand now?

So much turbulence in my life and yet, never have i felt such calmness, peace.  Everything will happen as it should as long as i participate in the process.  my process. I am doing it, will continue to do it. 

we should be able to write our ex's dating profiles

I'm dabbling again, seeing who and what is out there in the dating pool, cautiously sticking my toe into the water to find out if i will go swimming again.

It's not looking good, but honestly, i'm not trying very hard.  I almost feel like i've done my time, as it were, in romantic relationships.  When i say this to any of my female friends i get "you haven't had your great love yet.  it will come"  When i say this to my male friends they say "don't even bother, we are all assholes".  

Well that's the gist of it, if not the exact words. 

I feel that i have had two great loves, and that neither one was meant to last forever, and that they probably lasted a lot longer than they should have.  One, to have my beautiful children with, the other, to find my SELF with.  I don't know what i gave to them, or how i added or subtracted from their lives, and that is not for me to know.  

Maybe love really is like that plant i'm always hearing about, the one you have to water and fertilize forever, sometimes cutting the roots so it can flourish.......and sometimes it just withers away no matter what you do just because it is simply done.

Parting always hurts, but can i just say, dating is a different kind of pain?  Its like waxing.  Quick and uncomfortable and before you know it, you have to do it AGAIN.  The good part is you eventually develop a resistance to the discomfort however, i have yet to look forward to it.  Dating, or waxing.  To be clear.

I've come to the conclusion that dating sites are bullshit.  Pick one, they are all the same.  Women get flooded with "hi,hey,hello" and comments on "your lovely smile" or something to that effect.  Sometimes you get a stock letter, like when you are sending out resumes.......which no one reads either.  OR, maybe you get a smart alec who is trying way to hard to be funny, or endearing.  The same one will go on a warpath if you do not respond to said witticisms.  I don't think they have any idea how NOT original they are and how unattractive whiny "why won't you talk to me" is.  So it can get scary as well as tedious. 

Once in a while I hit on a man who is funny and articulate, who appears to be happy and have his act together.  Really.  It's true, i'm told they do in fact exist out here in dating world.  And then.......you find out why they are single.  Their dating profile failed to mention a few key facts.  Important ones.

This is why i feel like we should be able to write our ex's dating profiles, so that the details don't get conveniently lost.  Also, when they DO find a woman who will talk to them, and go out with them, they will be a match made on truths.  I find that truth saves time.  Here is my fictional man, made up of the dates and relationships i've had, explained to the average women who is just getting started out there.

Tag line:  Guess who's back?  Shady's back. 

Age:  a lot older or younger than what my pictures are showing

Location:  however far you are willing to drive to meet me

Intent: I would like you to have a relationship with me, just me, while i continue to search for the next best woman.  OR, i want to be exclusive with you for as long as you agree with me, and do everything for me.

Height: 2 inches shorter than whatever I tell you I am

Body type:  I, am balding but holding on to the hair i have left, have a flat ass and sagging balls. My legs are skinny with knobby knees topped by a beer gut.  My arms aren't strong enough for missionary for more than a minute or two so you will need to always be on top.  I hope you like it there.  

I am seeking: A model. She should be tall (or short) and blonde (or brunette, redhead) she should be slender but have a big butt and big boobs.  She should dress slutty, but not be too comfortable with her own sexuality.  She should be smart, but think what i tell her to.  She should have friends for when i want her out of my hair, but not expect me to actually know them.  She should be able to make any and all plans, which i will back out of if something better comes up.  Also, she should always be available for whatever I want to do, with a smile and no back talk.

Marital Status: Don't trust me on this, you will need to do a background check for sure

Interests:  Smoking copious amounts of weed, sitting in front of the television or on youtube, hanging out in the garage smoking more weed, hanging out with my buddies, smoking weed, Fixing muscle cars, bikes, motorcycles and snowmobiles.......as long as they aren't yours. Driving muscle cars , getting tickets, doing smoke shows, breaking parts, spending more money on muscle cars, bikes, motorcycles and snowmobiles.  I will always have money for muscle cars, motorcycles dirtbikes and snowmobiles, but i will never pay my bills on time or in full.  We will only go away for weekends or on vacation with other people. 

so why do i date at all?  Because i'm a romantic at heart, and I believe that someday.........maybe....i will find my third love.  For now though, i'm going to stop with the bullshit dating websites.  It feels more like i need to take a shower than swim with the fishes.... 

another one bites the dust.

I’m getting used to this.  Having another relationship break up, has not made it any easier.  But it’s familiar now, at least.  Not the end of the world like I used to fear it was.

He was as good to me as he could be.  I’m not sure he had a lot to go on, with how to treat a woman.  We both hadn’t been very successful in past relationships and this one was a really good try at it, but still no cigar.

I think some people THINK they want to share their lives with someONE, but they don’t want to sacrifice any of their wants or their time to the other persons wants.  There will always be one side that is constantly giving in to the other to keep things rolling smoothly.  And with that comes some frustration, and then bitterness.  I was getting really frustrated, so before I got to the bitter end, I ended it.

I moved away from my life to be with him.  It doesn’t seem like much but living an hour away from where you work and where your friends live, you minds well live in another state.  Getting together is a big deal.  Meeting for coffee isn’t worth the drive.  No more stopping in after work, or grabbing lunch on the weekend.  But.  I knew it wouldn’t be easy and I did it anyways.  I thought I was starting a new life. 

So, I did what I do and I cleaned, cooked, took care of the house as best I could.  I unpacked all my shit and decorated.  I bought what was needed to make life run smoothly.  And I contributed every month financially.  Then, I commuted two hours, five days a week in rush hour traffic.  I missed parties and gatherings I wanted to go to because I was going to be DAMNED if I showed up alone. Once, I had to trick him at the last minute before he could find a reason why he couldn’t go to a fire at a friend’s house with me.  But his family?  His friends? He was always available. No matter if we had plans or not.  I gained even more weight going out to dinner all the time because all he ever wanted to do was drive the cars……muscle cars that he restored.  If not drive them, work some more on them.  I teased that they were his girlfriends and THEN…… I wasn’t teasing anymore.

I started getting bitchy because the last thing I wanted to do was go for another long ass ride when that was all I did all week long. 

I felt like anything I wanted to do, never came to pass.  We were supposed to go on a trip to Niagra Falls- I’ve never been.  Guess what?  Still haven’t been.  Something always came up for him.  But he had been there with someone else before me, so.  If there’s one thing that pisses me off its being taken somewhere that used to be special with someone else.  Men can be so daft. And I’m too old to make excuses for it anymore. 

I can’t hold him being himself against him.  He’s a guy that loves cars and bikes. He said what he had to say to have me move in and I believed him.  I think he believed himself.  But that house was never going to be restored, and I was never going to be allowed to do anything to it without his approval.  And he didn’t approve of anything.  A few times I’d go ahead and do what I wanted, at my expense, to show him he could trust my judgement. 

He was never unkind to me.  When I had my surgery, he brought me.  He stayed with me.  He made sure I had what I needed.  That went a long way with me.  But he was set in his ways and my ways weren’t able to make an appearance to even try and merge.  What it came down to was that I was a pain in the ass tenant who wanted more than he was willing to give.  Himself.  Just a little.  Once again, I found myself in a situation where I felt invisible, powerless.  And this time, I packed my shit and left.

I felt horrible, but I knew it had to happen.  My timing also sucked, but that was out of my control.  I wanted to leave before it became what other romantic relationships had become, tears and screaming.  Just because we weren’t working didn’t mean I had bad feelings about him.  I wanted to keep it that way.

I did not keep contact.  I thought it would be unfair to keep interrupting his life when I had chosen to leave it.  I left it in his hands if he wanted to keep in touch.  Aside from asking about misplaced items he couldn’t find, he wasn’t.  I didn’t hold it against him.  I won’t say it didn’t hurt.  But, that’s what happens when people break up.

I love living alone.  I have more life now than I ever have before.  I go after what I want, no apologies. I do what I said I was going to do.  I won’t live the rest of my life waiting for anyone’s approval. 

I still have love for each of my ex’s for different reasons.  I love my ex husband for giving me my children.  I love my ex boyfriend of 13 years for showing me a side of myself I never would have found without him, and I love this last man, for making me take a leap of faith and proving to me that I was right to trust my gut.  True colors, they always show through eventually.

And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.

Dear Dad

 

 

I don’t know how many years it’s been since you passed. I don’t acknowledge your birthday, or death day because I can’t remember the dates.  I haven’t been to your grave since your funeral.  I might even have a hard time finding your grave.  I know I would.

 

But, I miss you. I think about you. I laugh about memories that come up, and so many have been coming up.  I compare men I meet to you.  I wonder if you would approve, or silently disapprove as you were so good at doing.  Would you be proud of me now? Or still waiting for me to “get serious”? 

 

You never told me you didn’t approve, your silence would be the message.  I knew I was in deep shit when you didn’t respond to me, acted like you didn’t see or hear me.  That worked better than any yelling ever could have.  It cut deeper.  Or you would tell my mother, “Kathy, blah blah blah” and then she would come at me with her screaming and hair pulling.  She never did that in front of you.  I think she knew you would stop her. 

 

You didn’t biologically create me.  You would watch me get picked up on random Sundays by my sperm doner and you never said a word in front of me about how you felt about it.  But you would be very quiet, while we all waited to see if he would actually appear.  And when it would finally become evident that he was NOT going to show this time (again) you would turn on again.  You would be your normal self and then I would be too.  I felt your relief as my own.  You never said you hated him, but I knew.  You never made me feel bad about him.  You never made me feel torn between you.  But you were always there when he was not.  Even when he was present, you were always “there”. No one could say you were not my father. You took me to court and gave me your name so you could legally call me yours, and so he could not leave me waiting for him on any more Sundays.

 

I moved back to New Britain after all these years and I’m perfectly comfortable.  At peace.  I find myself in Berlin most days because I’m so close to it.  I feel at home.  I remember living in Berlin with you and her on Porters Pass in the upstairs apartment.  I remember your friends and your roommate, Nate.  Oh I loved him so much because he gave me the Mrs Beezley doll.  He was so handsome, and his girlfriend was so pretty and nice.  Your other friends, The Greek, Potash…….those names stick in my mind.  Potash used to take me for rides in the Dune buggy on the sand pits down the street from your garage.  I have so many memories of that garage – of being sent to “find screws” in the back of the garage when  your friends on bikes would roll in, loud and exciting- the men riding them fascinating.  You didn’t like it when anyone swore or talked inappropriately around me, or my mother…….you thought women and children should be treated a certain way.  You were protective.  But I did get to go for rides on the bikes sometimes, so young that I sat in the front until I was big enough to hold on.  It wasn’t often, or far- but I believe it started my lifelong obsession with men who ride.

I don’t think you cared for that much. Or maybe you just wanted me to be treated well and kept safe.  You wanted me to “get serious” about school, about life

 

I remember waiting for you to come home at night hoping you would get there before I had to go to bed.  Your car would pull in and you would walk in the front door, covered in bondo.  I still love that smell.  You would pick me up and the dog, mopsy, would bark and jump and nip at my toes while you ran around with me laughing.  Then you would take me down the hall to my bedroom and throw me in the air to the bed, tuck me in, make sure my stuffed animal were in the correct place (I rotated) give me a big kiss and tell me to go to sleep.

 

Or the nights you came home at a normal time and would sit in your recliner, that yellow Lazyboy.  I would crawl  up onto the kitchen counter to reach the Calverts bottle on the top shelf of the cabinet and pour you a shot.  I felt important bringing you a shot and a beer.  That was my job.

I didn’t know what an alcoholic was then. I never knew the difference between drunk dad or sober dad until I saw you fling a plate of food at the wall during dinner one night and heard the words between you and her as I sat under the kitchen table where I automatically dove to be out of sight.  I have always learned so much when people have forgotten I am present.  “alcoholic” was learned in my kitchen sitting under the table.  And I knew it wasn’t a good word by the response it got.  Shocking and scary because it was totally unlike you to yell, to throw things.

 

I remember sitting at that same table in that same kitchen years later as a teenager telling you that you loved to drink more than you loved me.

And years later sitting at that same table in that sane kitchen smoking cigarettes with you while we discussed the people in rehab that I had met while visiting you there.

 

The drink got you in the end.  But that’s not what this blog entry is about.

 It’s about how many memories keep popping up because I’m living back in the area I first met you.  I went to the market we used to walk to the other day.  Its still there, owned by different people now.  I stood in the back ordering lunchmeat and looking at the same exact door to the meat freezer.  I felt like a little kid, with you holding my hand as you talked to the butcher.   I haven’t been able to drive by your garage- it’s still there.  I don’t know if Kenny is still running it- he has to be in his 70’s now.  The town is so different you wouldn’t know it as Berlin.  Central pizza is still there, and I got my sausage and mushroom pizza – thought about you. Its seems like most of my memories of you are in Berlin and thats weird because we didn’t live there a long time together before you and her bought the house in Middletown.  Maybe you were never at home in Middletown.  Maybe Berlin was yours.  Maybe that’s why I feel you there.

I was thinking I should go to your grave, find it. You are buried in New Britain as you requested.  But I’ve never been able to bring myself to go to your grave.

You were such an important part of my life, always there for me even when you didn’t have to be.  You and I had our quarrels, and I know that I pissed you off……..disappointed you with some of my choices.  And you disappointed me too at times.  I know you were sick, that you didn’t do it on purpose – that you struggled with alcohol just like your father before you.  I have your addictive personality even though we don’t share blood.  You raised me.  You did.  She maintained me, noticed me when it was convenient- used me, but YOU raised me.

I feel you everywhere like you are trying to tell me something.  I’m listening. 

here i go again

I'm reading a new book called "Power: surviving and thriving after narcissistic abuse" by Shahida Arabi.  I thought it looked interesting, and I've had it suggested to me by several people that one of my ex's is a Narcissist.  So i picked it up, thinking i'd take a quick look.

First chapter i can't help but take out a pencil and begin underlining what is reaching out and smacking me in the face -

You rationalize it, and minimize it, hoping it was just an off-color comment or misunderstanding (no one is ever going to mistake you for a model)

New people, as well as new forms of torment, begin to show up; he introduces them into the sacred space of your relationship.  He ignores you while he extols them; he demeans you while he praises them.  (Oh, I've been friends with her for years.  She's just a friend.  You over react.  You have me on a short leash.  Why can't you be more like her?)

You become needy for approval, for any scrap of kindness, any leftovers of sincerity, any inkling for the dream he once constructed of meeting someone who truly saw you.

Once, you binged on his affection, and now you are starving from his lack of praise.  You attempt to restrain yourself from feasting on the love of others while pretending to be satisfied with crumbs.

Closure is the only fairy tale, a myth, a legend.  The only true closure can come from within.

This is the type of love story where the happy ending lies in not finding Prince Charming.  Rather, it lies in the realization that he never existed at all.

After years of taking two steps forward and finding myself slipping back over and over again, of having people look at me with impatience and pity (if not outright anger) of learning to not speak of it, not out loud..........i am finally rounding a bend.  I'm taking active assessment of the damage that i allowed to happen to my self esteem, self worth. 

Because?  I didn't know any better.  I confused love with addiction.  Some are addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex.........i was addicted to him.  Still am.  Always will be.  Just like that cigarette I can never take one drag off without needing to smoke a pack a day.  He is something i cannot treat casually without the sickness returning.  I cant' have a phone conversation with him without him taking me to pain, or talking to me the same way he always did.....with disregard.  He reaches out to make sure i'm still trapped in the web.

I'm near it, but i'm running fast in the other direction.  I've hung around that web, trying to figure it out for too long. It's hard to realize that it was never about me, it was about my gullibility, my eagerness to please, my need to love and be loved....each of those characteristics an individual sticky strand that made up the web he wrapped me in. Until he decided to find a new web.

I believe people can change if they want to.  If they realize what needs changing, and growing and make that conscious effort to do so.  But sadly, many won't take a long hard look at themselves, let alone try to improve, or become a better person.  It's safe to say that men like him don't change themselves, they change their audience, their location........but not themselves. 

I'm always going to remember the love, (manipulation) and the times i was treated well (when he wanted something) and that is the part that has ruined my ability to love that deeply, that freely again.  These scars, this sadness will eventually disappear for good and stop popping up when i least expect it to..........but the trust, that will never return.

Women Only

 

My daughter told me I can be really mean.  I’ve learned to filter my “honesty” into gentler words, or better, simple silence.  Years and experience have taught me silence can’t come back and embarrass you at a later date.  Anger has a way of unlocking the ugliness and it comes out BIG and unforgiving. 

 

Anger is also a waste of time at this point in my life.  It serves no purpose.

 

So, when it hits me and becomes unreasonable, I talk out loud to myself.  Crazy?  Not the talking, but probably most definitely the content.  Then it works itself into sense as it circles down and the sides become smoother……...it’s almost always the same things that bring me to anger.  I’ve had practice.  I know how this goes now.  Without knowing, I’m going to say that this is part of being an introvert.  When I try and “work it out” with another person while this anger is in my throat all I do is escalate, and then…….shut down. 

It’s funny, in a not a haha way, that I’ve had two very serious conversations recently regarding friendship and changes.  Realizations.  These conversations led me to thinking about how I feel, approach, act in my own relationships. 

The last few years have taught me that I have a circle of women that stand by me through thick and thin, even when it’s difficult, especially when it’s difficult.  That they sacrifice, do not judge, offer comfort, offer wine – laughter and tears without me even having to ask.  And when the occasion arises that I do need to ask for help, they are there without question.

Friends I haven’t seen very often, but have known for decades.  Friends that I see daily.  Women that have been my backbone when mine was jello.  Women who get angry for me when I can’t muster it myself.  Also, women who tell me to knock it the hell off. 

If you cannot be open, honest, loving- with your circle why are you in it?  If I have to hear hard truth I want it to come from someone who loves me and has my back.  If I’m in need of redirection because I’m acting a fool, I want it to come from a friend.  And they do.  They love me enough to make me angry.  They love me enough to tell truth when it hurts.

When I obsess over the past, which I do tend to do, I am reminded by them of of how far I have come.  When I want to do things that I will certainly regret, I am warned that I will regret it, and of how far I have come. 

I don’t have to change who I am or be perfect or have a perfect life.  Nor do they.  We just are who we are and we accept that and more, love that.  We celebrate the differences and rely on them. 

I do not know how any woman gets by in life without her girlfriends. 

There was a time in my life that all I had was my husband.  And look how that ended.  Even after years of isolating myself from the women in my life, they rallied and stood behind me.

 

Because that is what we do.

 

 

When my life exploded 2 years ago, it didn’t matter that I was a hot mess that could barely put a sentence together without having a breakdown.  They rallied.  They took over.  They would have tied me up in a basement to keep me away from what I thought I needed.  They gave me time to see sense.  And light.

Because that is what they do.

When I want to write about things that have been a topic in my life for entirely too long and take up too much space, they stand by me, telling me to let it go.  Make space.  Let in the light.  The past is gone and has taught me what I needed to get where I am.

 

Why write this blog when to many women it is obvious?  Because not all DO know how important our female friends are.  How they are the difference between living a life and surviving one.  Because there are actually women out there that believe “women are drama”………….if so, it’s coming from you.   Truly.  If you “get along better with men” why not just admit that you only feel special when a man is paying attention to you.  And that you are intimidated by women.  That you haven’t found your own voice yet or the strength the use it if you feel like there won’t be agreement.  Or maybe you were born a man and just need to go ahead and get that changed.  Women who degrade other women with misogynistic comments like “women are drama” and “I get along better with men” have self-esteem issues.  I feel for you and hope that one day you find your Self and find sisterhood with your female counterparts.  

I want to shout this from the rooftops.  So, YOU……say what you need to say.  Be who you are.  Love freely and without reserve.  Let your girlfriends know you love them and are there for them and BE THERE.  Be strong.