SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

I don't know if this is in the right place or not but this is a story I wrote about 3 weeks after D-Day. I was real messed up at the time. I started a journal and wrote everyday. Some days I did nothing but write. It's amazing I still have a job. The thing about writing is that I can go back and read what I wrote and how I felt at the time. It has been very helpful when I am having one of those days to be able to go back and gauge my progress. Anyway here is the story. I am not a very good writer but I think some of you will see my analogies. I am 6 months out. I am no where near full recovery yet but we are both working very hard. My W is no longer my WW. She is my wife.

The worst of the storm was finally over. It was such a violent storm that the island residents did not know how it would be possible to survive. The storm had come out of nowhere. Totally unexpected. There had been dark clouds on the horizon and little signs that told something big may be happening. The residents were so occupied with their lives that they didn’t have any idea of the terrible thing that was happening so close to them. It was on its way with nothing to stop it. It started with a loud crash of thunder. The thunder was a startling wakeup call, and deep down the residents knew what was coming next. They hoped and prayed that they were wrong. They were not prepared for what came next. They never thought a storm of this magnitude could ever hit them. All at once an immense wave came crashing down and instantly obliterated everything that the residents had worked so hard for and been building up their whole lives. The storm kept coming mercilessly with all its might as wave after wave smashed the peaceful island. The storm seemed like it would last forever with no end in sight. They resigned to the fact that all will be lost and prepared themselves for the end. The storm began to play tricks on the minds of the people giving them false hope. At times it would subside a little and then out of nowhere, great gusts of wind and more waves destroyed the temporary makeshift shelters and barriers that the people where struggling to put up. After what seemed like an eternity the storm started to die down. Intermittent but short periods of calmer weather gave the residents a chance to build stronger shelters and barriers. Each wave and gust of wind was having less and less of an impact on what was left of their island. The residents started to have real hope that they may actually survive. Finally there was a lull in the storm. The residents crawled out of the rubble and makeshift shelters to look around. They could not believe the devastation that was all around them. How could they put their lives back together? The residents did not hesitate. They knew that if they didn’t act now, all would be lost with no chance of survival. They began taking assessment of their situation. They were able to gather enough resources to survive. For a short time anyway. They searched for the things that once meant so much to them and needed for long term existence. Many of those things were never found and were lost forever. Many items they found broken beyond repair, but were set aside and stored away for the time being to be kept as reminders of the devastation. Items were found that were so severely damaged that the residents were unsure if they were repairable. But these were items that the residents could not survive without. They decided to try to repair them no matter how long and how many resources it takes. Remarkably some things were not damaged at all and this gave the residents a lot of hope. The biggest fear for the residents is that after surviving this horrible ordeal that the storm may come back around soon and with all that has been lost, there would be no hope of survival. With what little that is left, the residents are now building permanent barriers and stronger houses to help prevent and minimize damage from any future storm. The residents now have a lot of hope. Rays of sunshine now pierce the dark clouds attempting to drive them away. For the residents, the rebuilding process has begun.

Your 'little story' is pretty much a description of the last 14 months of my marriage. The waves kept crashing until I had to choose: save myself from the storm or drown.

Your 'little story' is a very good analogy. Thank you.