Once Upon Adversity

A Midlife Tale of Resilience & Emotional Fortitude

Photo by Megan O'Hanlon on Unsplash

Part 1- The surge of dismantling

You know, most epic tales begin with ‘Once Upon a Time’, filled with a few chirping birds having the audacity to make it seem like the journey of the quester would be some peaceful and pleasant excursion. Well, that’s great for fairy tales and the magic of the movie screen but let’s dive into something more realistic; a tale of how resilience has not only been at the forefront of my two-year journey but has been my only beacon of survival during a time that has haphazardly forced me and so many of us to sink to the point of demise.

This story begins in July of 2021 in the thick of Covid-19, when masks came in dazzling colors and the housing market was on the brink of skyrocketing to asinine prices. It was a time when crap couldn’t hit the worldly fan any harder than it already had, both personally and externally, and for me, a 42-year-old Philadelphian at the time, the stench from the communal oscillation definitely hit home.

Outside of a tiny 3 bedroom townhome, packing as much as we could in my 2018 Ford Explorer, my daughter and I prepared to embark on a quest of a lifetime. A new beginning with the expectation of adventure and betterment that would cascade the heartache and detriment of a 14-year relationship…