“I got married at a very young age and moved to Hyderabad 14 years ago. I was a typical small town girl and was so amazed by everything the big city had to offer. Life was beautiful, filled with all sorts of hopes and dreams, and a really wonderful marriage. But there comes a time in your life when you begin to contemplate your priorities, desires and expectations. It is usually when you make the most important decisions. They might hurt you and the people around you, but you know they’re for the best. That’s what happened to us. There came a time in our marriage when we started evaluating what we wanted from life and each other, and discovered that our remaining married wasn’t necessary. I know it sounds a bit strange at first, but trust me when I say there are certain relationships that can only be fostered until a certain boundary.
It was certainly not a hasty decision, and was taken with a lot of contemplation of the consequences that would follow. We thought about the factors involved, the repercussions, and allowed the maybes and what-ifs to sink in. And finally, we took the most painful decision of our lives and got separated. Sometimes, it is just that two people are not meant to be together forever. There was a lot of pain and teary cuddles, but somewhere inside, we knew that it was the right decision.
We continue to love each other as much as we used to and remain good buddies. In fact, the day of our divorce was smooth, warm, and filled with compassion. We laughed, hugged, cherished all our beautiful memories, and went on our last date to our favorite restaurant.
We both took responsibility for our roles in the relationship and there was absolutely no blaming involved. The time we spent together was the best time of my life. I don’t see our separation as an unfortunate event. Although society has conditioned us to see things a certain way, we knew what we were doing. The kind of judgments and comments that we were subjected to were so vicious at times!
Honestly, in many ways, our relationship is stronger than ever now. I hope society understands this someday. He is a great guy and I wouldn’t let go of our friendship for anything in the world. We both respect and cherish our relationship, and remain committed to supporting each other in our individual journeys going forward. In fact, I had always been very close to his mom and our relationship has not changed a bit – we talk almost every day even today!
I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt. It did.. immensely and deeply. I was in clinical depression for almost 2 years. Absolutely nothing in the world made sense back then. But then one day, I decided to go back to my old self and booked some tickets to Egypt and Jordan! Did I mention I am very impulsive too? I resumed my travel blog after 3 years, and with so much more intensity and drive.
And now, the answer to my most frequently asked question: “When are you planning to take back your family’s surname?”
Well, never. I have spent half my life with him, and he will always hold a special place in my heart. I am never going to change my name, even if I decide to settle down again someday.
I gave my everything to my travel blog for years and today, it means the world to me. The enthusiasm I have to share my stories with the world gives me the strength I need to move forward in life. I am a solo traveler and have been to many countries alone, and intend to travel the whole world. Maybe one day I will adopt a baby girl and travel with her!”