At 45, I realized that divorce wasn’t a failure but a doorway to finding my true happiness and embracing life on my terms. I had spent so many years trying to make our marriage work, thinking that if I just put in a little more effort, compromised a bit more, or made myself smaller, somehow we’d find peace and joy together. I’d convinced myself that holding on was what love was supposed to be.

But the truth was, I had lost myself along the way. I had given up my passions, neglected my needs, and forgotten who I was outside of my role as a wife. I’d stayed for the promises we’d made, even when those promises started feeling like chains. The thought of ending our marriage felt like admitting defeat, like all those years together would be reduced to a failure.

One day, though, I looked in the mirror and barely recognized the woman looking back. I realized I hadn’t been happy in a long time. The dreams I’d set aside, the interests I’d let go of—all of it came rushing back as I faced the truth. Divorce, I finally understood, wasn’t a failure but a necessary step toward rediscovering who I was and reclaiming my life.

Since then, I’ve reconnected with old friends, picked up hobbies I’d abandoned, and started making choices that align with my own desires. There’s a lightness to my days now, a joy that I’d forgotten was possible. I wake up every morning excited about what I might accomplish, what new experiences lie ahead. Divorce didn’t break me; it set me free. It gave me the opportunity to rebuild my life and finally embrace happiness on my own terms. I am becoming the woman I was always meant to be.