Friends: Minute of Joy Superheroes

When I first contemplated my separation and divorce, I wasn't sure where I would live. The house I owned with my ex required a lot of upkeep and property maintenance, so I quickly determined that I did not want to keep it. Unfortunately, our budget at the time really did not allow for me to immediately move. So, for a time, my ex and I "bird-nested," splitting our time in the house. I was there Sunday-Wednesday; he was there Thursday-Saturday. On my days away from the house, I couch-surfed, staying with different friends and family each week.

And man, did those friends and family members deliver. On my days with them, they took me on hikes, scheduled massages, ordered us pizza, made drinks and somehow found TV shows that had no romantic themes at all. I still recall sitting on my friend Shawna's couch with a glass of wine as we watched a silly ghost hunter show and scheduled massages for the next day, just a few hours after I had told our kids about the separation (a particularly brutal day). Somehow, I found a Minute of Joy even then...because I had help.

Friends are Minute of Joy superheroes. They will find Minutes of Joy when it seems impossible. My advice to anyone seeking a Minute of Joy in a dark time is to lean into those friends and family. Let them don their capes and leap tall buildings to help you find your way.