A Story About Two People

I want to tell you a story about two people.

Two people who fit together, as he says, like a jigsaw puzzle.

I tell him I like him more and more everyday.

There are moments we cling to each other, moments we push away, moments we fall back and moments we fall forward - both alone and together.

We are a complicated pair. In our own heads often. Intense. Independent. Damaged (and I mean that in the best possible way). Passionate. We are so very different and so very much the same.

We have tangled schedules. We tip toe. We ask forgiveness. I soften as I remember these are new pathways and I can choose something different this time.

We inhabit a new territory. Our families broke open. We know that sadness. We know the questions and the fear and the desire to create and build and protect. We know what it's like to know someone forever and ever and then have that person disappear (even though both are still integral pieces of our lives). We know the reality of stories that have an ending.

We also know new joy and we've felt that rush of a beginning.

We are learning as we grow. Alone and together about who we are as individuals and who we are together and what it means to have our families expand.

I don't know how this story will end. It's happening right now and we're living it. Sometimes these sorts of stories are really hard to tell because you're living in the middle of it.

If we always waited for the end to tell a story we'd miss so much.

When I feel most afraid I remind myself that there are things to say, and things to celebrate, and pieces to document without fear of how the story will end. Do stories ever really end? Or do they just change and curve and zig zag and evolve into the next one?

Our family stories are different now, but they are still our families.

What I know is this, he has a huge giant heart of gold even when he tries to hide it with jokes and sarcasm. And the cure for everything just might be pie. Pumpkin for him, fruit for me.

We are in it people. One day at a time.

To be continued.

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186 thoughts

  1. Janet says…
    07/10/2014

    Ali, you are such a brave person. I have been reading your blog for many years and you are so genuine. It is refreshing to see how you deal with everything life has thrown at you. You deserve happiness and I hope it has found you!! Love this chapter of your story.

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. annie f says…
    07/10/2014

    Thank you. My story has so many parallels to your it's strange. What you write about here I have and am experiencing too. What a crazy wonderful amazing ride. Thank you for putting it into such beautiful words.

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. Patti L says…
    07/10/2014

    wow. love this. can't even explain how touching this is esp today. As someone else who has been there, done that and doing that again! Some days I can't even contemplate the complexity a relationship can bring.

    I always love the quote in Hope Floats. "Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but its the middle that counts the most. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up." Hope was my OLW the first year after my divorce & it proved itself for sure.

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. Kelsey says…
    07/10/2014

    Thank you for this. Your honesty is refreshing and also inspirational. As someone currently going through the hardships of divorce, it is so nice to know that there is a light at the end both for myself and hopefully for my future at happiness with another.

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. Andrea Beshuk says…
    07/10/2014

    I love this so much.

    It's the same beautiful sometimes tragic but always fantastic story, just a new chapter full of new adventures not yet seen. I'm writing a new chapter myself, and its scary and exciting, and full of opportunity... especially for self growth.
    We must be brave to shine...

    Shine is my OLW for 2014

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. abbeyviolet says…
    07/10/2014

    Love this. The honesty, vulnerability, truth, and beautiful writing. Thank you for sharing and trusting.

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Anna Aspnes says…
    07/10/2014

    Life is a never ending story filled with adventure and the unexpected. Enjoy the ride my friend.

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. Susan Rosen says…
    07/10/2014

    You tell your true stories so bravely and beautifully!

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Allison Waken says…
    07/10/2014

    I love this Ali! You've inspired me to write about my story because it doesn't matter if it looks or sounds "boring" or "normal". It's ours and we've come a long way.

    I think the story just continues. It doesn't start or stop, just curves, changes paths. Our story has the same 2 people, but we are definitely not the same 2 people it started with.

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. jodie says…
    07/10/2014

    You give me hope x

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. heidig says…
    07/10/2014

    Awwwwww! Nice.

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. Amanda says…
    07/10/2014

    Beautiful. Smart. Tender. Wise.

    Enjoy the journey!

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Tona says…
    07/10/2014

    Very well said! It always amazes me at how intuitive you are. Wishing for nothing but happy endings for you!

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Ingvild says…
    07/10/2014

    I can relate to everything you say. New beginnings can be hard and also the best time. It is what you decide and make of it. And for me you are truly an inspiration. Thank you.

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Vada says…
    07/10/2014

    Wow! I'm on the edge of my seat, waiting for the continued part.

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Mary Beth says…
    07/10/2014

    Beautiful and brave. Best of luck and love as you create your today!

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Andrea Williams says…
    07/10/2014

    Oh Ali, such a raw and poignant post. You look at things in such an interesting way. You are a beautiful story teller...it brought me to tears. To have loved and lost and loved again...love is grand.

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. tiffany h. says…
    07/10/2014

    Wow. It's all I can say. Wow.

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Kary in Colorado says…
    07/10/2014

    Thanks for this today. It is my son-in-law's 27th birthday. His divorce from my daughter will be final on Monday. She is in the middle of the terribly hurtful "breaking open" phase and often cannot see beyond it. His choices have caused great pain to her and all of us, yet we still love him. Her story will take a very different tack than she expected, but I hope that she too will understand that new experiences and great happiness are ahead. Thanks again.

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. Deiga says…
    07/10/2014

    I've been where you are... and yeh, that's exactly how I (we) felt. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply 0 Replies
  21. Erin says…
    07/10/2014

    There is so much fake stuff on the inter-world, especially when it comes to love...so many platitudes and gushing that you wonder about the truthfulness of it all. Once again you keep it real and "real" is truly the most beautiful.

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. Kimberly says…
    07/10/2014

    ahhh I'm cryin over here ,so touching ..I think we all are right there every day ... one day at a time

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. Darcie says…
    07/10/2014

    Hang in there because even though I don't personally know either of you, if you both are even remotely as wonderful as I think you are from reading your blog, you deserve each other and all the happiness you can grab.

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. Maureen says…
    07/10/2014

    Ah Ali...such a beautiful post. This is one of the gifts of being an 'in your head' person. You can think through what your heart knows. At almost 70, I know, no story ever ends. It's part of life's flow.

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. Debbie Piercey says…
    07/10/2014

    Beautifully written Ali! Hugs and best wishes for your days to come!

    Reply 0 Replies

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