What makes your life good?

Life has been good again for quite a while. After a divorce one feels down, even if it may have been the right decision ... nightmares, guilt, fear, the feeling of failure and worthlessness creeps up. Only after a long while that great feeling of freedom and happiness slowly comes back. Wow, all these things one can do and say and nobody is there to complain about anything. Why did one ever wanted to be in a self-chosen social prison. One still wonders, though, why one was't able to simply live a life which accommodates all our basic needs and integrates some mutual respect. Well, I'll take all the blame. Some people just are different and don't fit into the typical social constructs our society has to offer. We just do need a little more space, a larger slice of tranquility, and a bigger breeze of freedom, which is sweet balm for our souls. Not everyone understands these needs, but everyone should be able to accept them. When we grew up we were all brain washed by watching 'The Waltons' and 'A little house on the prairie', but not everyone fits into the Walton family life style, and there is no need to. Only because there is a majority of people in our society apparently happy with such a concept for their life, it doesn`t mean that a minority needs to adopt to this prevailing lifestyle. There are alternatives, and with almost 40% of marriages ending in divorce, may be it is time for a new thinking. The Waltons lifestyle concept was replaced by the concepts in 'Seinfeld' and by 'Friends' on TV and in life, at least for the more progressive parts of the country. In the South one still does not get invited to every party and one often feels awkward in certain social settings, such as the famous corporate Christmas parties. No problem, there are workarounds like simply having your own parties. The ring on the left hand is some magic entrance key for certain social circles, but hey, I don't plan to run for president (and couldn't anyway) or live in MtBrook anyway. What many Southerners don't know is that other cultures wear their wedding rings on the right hand and the left hand is used for the engagement ring or fashion rings. So the easy workaround is to just wear a nice ring of your choice on the left hand, and if your are asked, blame your European heritage and family traditions. That little ring keeps overambitious husband-seekers at distance, and it seems to make people feel much more at ease, for reasons only real Southerners may fully understand. For the rest of us, life is goooood once we figure out what really works for us, how we can still fit in down here in the beautiful South, and if we dare to be different.