A Griswold Christmas as a Single Parent

Greetings from reality, lovers and sexual beings of Shine. It's been a while since I last chimed in, but I'm feeling sort of frisky from all the holiday buzz (or is it the Chardonnay?).

The Loneliest Time of Year

With the holidays creeping up around the bend, I am again finding myself walking down memory lane. This time, it's all good.
I watched Christmas Vacation, starring the family man, Clark Griswold (played by Chevy Chase), for the umpteenth time recently.

I thought to myself: I want to meet a guy like Clark. He's sentimental, funny, caring, a fighter, a gentleman and would move mountains to see his family happy.

Then it occurred to me...

I am Clark Griswold.

Albeit, the female, single parent version, of course. Let me give you a quick synopsis of past events to which you may better understand my conclusion.

Back in December of 2009, I had just finished writing the poetry and creating illustrations for my first children's book entitled, "The Story of Daddy Long Legs." It was based on my own family, husband of 15 years and three kids (two girls and a boy).

It's a funny little tale of how two spiders meet at a dance, fall in love, and adopt three little bugs that fall into their web, simply because they are too cute to eat.

But just as I had mailed our annual Christmas greeting cards (featuring a family portrait of us), my [now ex] declared he wanted out of our marriage.

He then became the Grinch who stole Christmas.

Here I thought all those years that I was married to the kind of loving, warm and family-oriented person that I was. He turned out to be the opposite.

Celebrating Christmas with my kids were brutal the first few years as a single mom, but this year is totally different. I now realize that with my Clark Griswold wings, I'm free to fly as high as they allow me to take them. I no longer have the tremendous burden of a mortgage to tend to and Santa will be sure to visit this year (despite not having a chimney in our humble apartment).

Being a parent is the hardest, most honorable job you can fulfill. Being a single parent is like a double points upgrade. I may not have the warm arms of a cuddle buddy spooning me at the moment, but that is hardly a memory that I miss. Making new ones with people I love and care about are what I focus on.

Being alone isn't nearly as painful as you might think. Being lonely is like a slow death. In my marriage, I was lonelier than I ever was in my life.

Like a "Christmas Vacation," I'm going to drain the city's energy and make this the most electrified, shiniest holiday ever.

My kids are so lucky to have Clark Griswold as their mom.

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