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Information technology's been almost 2 decades since Linda Simpson was blindsided by divorce later 25 years of marriage.

Reclaiming her life after the dissever was "admittedly a challenge," simply today she's happier than ever, enjoying time with her two grown sons, grandchildren and a partner she calls the love of her life.

"My path to this electric current land was rocky at times, hilarious at times, just my story is ultimately 1 of triumph," the 65-year-one-time told The Huffington Mail service.

Below, Simpson shares more than of her inspiring post-carve up story.

My marriage ended in 1996. "Blew up" is more than like it. Unbeknownst to me, I'd been married to two men during my 25-yr marriage: At that place was my husband, who was my childhood sweetheart and then in that location was the human he'd get, the one with the cloak-and-dagger life. The years leading upward to our divorce were turbulent and littered with my emotional pain. Information technology seemed that my ex couldn't go out without commencement destroying my self-esteem. It's not an overstatement to say he also took what was left of my future hopes and dreams when we divorced.

In January 1997, information technology dawned on me that my life could no longer exist discussed in "we" or "us" terms. My life was in one case over again mine. I was now a very single parent. My sons, young adults at the time, had lost the father they idea they knew. With fierce determination, we rebuilt our family unit life and forged a path to the time to come. Nosotros left old traditions behind and created new ones. Those boys were and are a fortress of dearest in my life. In time, we moved on from the pain of the divorce. We became a solid, happy threesome.

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A photograph of Linda and her two sons in 2002.

To get my mind off things, I began the lengthy process of preparing for a yearlong European teacher substitution. That absorbed my professional attention. Dating was clearly out of the question at this point. I could barely trust myself. How could I even brainstorm to trust another homo?

Returning from my teacher substitution, I was standing in the doorway of the new millennium and the dawn of some other new starting time. Believe me, searching out a personal life after divorce is an odd situation to notice yourself in. I felt like I was part goofy xv-yr-erstwhile school daughter and role 50-twelvemonth-erstwhile-adult female; a divide personality with no experience in the dating scene. What was the first lesson? Join a group. Find your people. I'd discovered hiking while away on my instructor substitution and then when I got back, I joined the local hiking society and met someone.

There were missteps forth the fashion. Plenty of them. My hiking buddy looked like my ex and behaved similar him, too. Equally a dating neophyte, I assumed his indifferent attending was the real deal -- that he was but playing hard to go. He was cool, aloof and parceled out attention. Eventually, I found out there was skilful reason for his five failed marriages.

Internet dating seemed likewise foreign to me. I tried personal ads from reputable newspapers, out-of-boondocks ones in particular. One advertizement really defenseless my eye. On a whim, I answered. He wrote back. We dated briefly, neither of united states of america at a stage to commit. But meeting him was life-irresolute.

One date nighttime, he said, "Linda, You lot have to stop being so negative virtually yourself." It was a calorie-free bulb moment for me. My marriage had left me well-versed in my particular faults. Today I'k much more inclined to come across the good in me.

After the personal ad experience, I decided to boldly move up through the ranks of online dating. At offset, the rejections were like a slap in the face, the deceptions a throwback to my spousal relationship. You lot have to learn to be detached to survive.

In my years online, I met some fascinating men, some wingnuts, too. 2 of my almost valued friends today are men I met online. Moving on from them paved the mode for me to meet the beloved of my life.

My partner is a remarkable man -- the kind of guy who'due south well worth the expect. His dearest gave me the strength to trust once more. It took a hard divorce and pushing myself back out into the dating globe but at present I tin say confidently that I constitute the dearest of my life. A mature love similar we accept is a gift.

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