Book Excerpt – From Ex-Wife to Exceptional Life: A Woman’s Journey through Divorce
Many of us actually prefer to stay home on New Year’s Eve or spend the night with friends rather than get all dressed up to trudge through snowy, icy weather, only to eat and drink too much! Yet, the fantasy of this night still seems to hold many women captive. The notion of “being alone” on New Year’s Eve makes an otherwise strong, capable, independent woman feel like a 13-year-old wallflower! A woman can be spending New Year’s Eve with friends, family, and children, but without a date, she may say, “I am alone.” If this is your first New Year’s Eve without your spouse, then this is your first New Year’s Eve single. This is a New Year, and a new beginning, and it is worth celebrating! Here are some ideas to get you thinking about your options.
- A quiet night at home with videos, take-out food, and your kids.
- A girl’s night in. Have a couple of friends sleep over–give each other pedicures and facials.
- Going out with girlfriends, celebrating friendship with dinner and a good movie.
- A progressive dinner. Each house makes a different course of the meal and you move with your friends from house to house.
- A house party, where each of your single friends brings another single friend. A good way to network with safe people.
- A get-together with single Moms and their kids.
- Journal about all the things you learned in the old year and all the things you hope for in the New Year.
- Go away skiing or take a cruise. Look for last minute travel deals on the Internet.
- Check into the local Marriot or Holiday Inn with your kids. The big hotel chains often offer package deals and kids love the big indoor pools.
- Ignore the whole thing and go to bed early after eating a pint of chocolate chip ice cream and watching Sleepless in Seattle.
You have options that you may have not had before. Try something new. It will make you feel adventurous and that will help you feel more confident! Most importantly, take a few moments at the start of this New Year to feel gratitude and hope. Don’t forget to praise yourself for getting through a really tough year!
Today I know I am in charge of my life. I am in charge of what I choose to do for New Year’s Eve. I can choose to do nothing, which is different than just letting “nothing happen.”
Donna,
Your words ring so true for all of us. Whether or not we are “alone” on New Year’s Eve, we all need to recognize the fullness of being with ourselves. You have given many, not only some fun choices for spending the holiday, but also empowered us to know that it is alright to do so. There is nothing “wrong’ with being alone. It is only lonliness that is painful. Being alone can be uplifting.
Anyone who has read your books or has met you in person knows your belief in looking to the future, not the past. New Year’s Evening can be a special time to review the year and to envision a new life in the new year. Thanks so much for what you do!
I can actually remember spending New Years Eve sorting and tossing expired coupons!! How pathetic! This year (for the second year) I hosted a gathering and sleep over of 4 women–the oldest 68!! We snacked and chatted, and watched videos. (The hit of the evening was the viewing of SHREK!) Life is what you make it. (Great website!)
There is no place on earth or off to be alone. But we can choose to feel alone in a stadium with thousands of others. In all cases it is our personal choice to feel alone or not. Blessings X 10,
Ed