Gather round, Oppo, as I unload some personal baggage upon you. I haven't been a regular here for some time, but I've always felt like I can be my true self in this community, so I feel comfortable sharing with you all.
Rewind to this time in 2017. I was 33 years old and 10 days away from leaving a job I'd been at for 7.5 years. The end of that job meant the end of day-long internet freedom, so my presence around here (or there, rather, since it was Kinja at that point) took a nose dive when I started the new job.
The new job was a breath of fresh air and, although consistently challenging, has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.
The new job had an unintended consequence, though. The unhappiness I had at the old job had been so strong that it had blinded me to another source of unhappiness in my life: my marriage. In January of 2018 my wife and I had a frank conversation where we both admitted that we weren't happy. We weighed the options, and decided that it was in our best interest and the best interest of our then 3-year-old son to go our separate ways.
It was a tough decision and has had its ups and down since then, but I believe that all 3 of us are better for it. My ex and I get along very well and work very hard to continue to be loving, supportive parents to our now 6-year-old.
As amicable and cooperative as our divorce has been, I still wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's a tough road, especially when there are kids involved. I can't even begin to fathom what kind of hell a nasty divorce is. My heart goes out to anyone who has lived through that, whether it be as one of the parties, or as a child. My Oppo door is always open to anyone who wants to talk about such a thing.
About a year ago I decided to dip my toe into the world of dating in your mid 30s. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, either. I'm kidding there, but only a little. It's definitely an experience and not always good for the old mental and emotional well being. My luck has been fairly limited, a fact that has only been compounded by a fucking global pandemic.
That brings me to a nice little Oppo on-topic tie in. Thanks to the rollercoaster of emotions that is dating as a nearly-middle age adult, last year's wonderful movie, Ford vs. Ferrari has been ruined for me, at least temporarily.
You see, I met a wonderful woman last November and hit it off with her right away. Our first date was one long, winding conversation in a local brewery that lasted 6 hours. In the course of the conversation, my love of cars and airplanes came up and I mentioned that Ford vs. Ferrari was out and that I wanted to see it.
We made plans to see it the next week and did. It was another great time and to be honest, those few days are still a high water mark for happiness for me in the last few years. Unfortunately, things didn't work out between us and with the onset of COVID, I haven't been able to achieve anything close in the dating game since. As a result, every time I think of the movie, I think of her.
Anyway, if you made it this far, congratulations and thanks for listening. I love this community and I feel fortunate that I can freely share something so personal.
Cheers to you all!
