My brain, numbed and molded into a box from days of administering standardized tests is slow to make connections and weave non-standardized sentences this morning. I have found myself strangely drawn towards curves over the last two weeks – doodling nonsensical and nonlinear designs, sitting in the comforting arch of the non-corner of my deck and appreciating the bends in the trees and the undulations in the clouds.
It always takes some time for me to re-adjust. To remember that life is not multiple choice and that children are not defined by which bubble they darken. To feel comfortable again speaking off of a script and speaking my mind. Today, I am purging myself of the testing remains and spending time without monitoring minutes or erasures.
Meanwhile, here’s another collection of some interesting articles that I have encountered over the last few weeks. Enjoy. And remember, life is not a test. There are no wrong answers, only different paths.
This research invested the effect of oxytocin on feelings of betrayal. The results are interesting and not what I would have expected. My ex expertly used affection, and thus oxytocin, to keep me calm.
After the Divorce: 5 Ways to Know if You’re Ready to Date
Good stuff here. I have to admit, I started dating before I had resolved all of these (I was still pretty angry), but they all had to be resolved before I could really be in a relationship.
She Shared Her Brutally Honest Experience of His Affair and It Worked
I share this not because I think it will “work” to save a relationship on the rocks (you have to have a straying partner willing and able to listen first), but because I think it is a well-written description of what it feels like to be betrayed. Countless writers have attempted to describe the pain in words. I don’t think any words can quite embody it. But these get close.
The 10 Biggest Reasons People Fall Out of Love
It’s interesting the perspective that can be gained when distilling something so complicated into a simple list. I know I fell out of love at first sight once I realized that he wasn’t the person I thought he was.
5 Tips to Improve Your Self-Talk
We work hard to improve our physical environment – creating a comfortable home and welcoming space. Yet sometimes we neglect to spruce up the environment we spend the most time in – our own minds. The words we say to others have influence and the words we say to ourselves have power. Choose them carefully.