Has anything bad ever happened to you that turned out to be for the best?
Kate wants to hear from you! The next question of the week, straight from Kate, is: Has anything bad ever happened to you that turned out to be for the best? To get your voice heard, simply hit the Comment link and tell her what you think! No registration is necessary, and you can post anonymously if you want.
September 11, 2012 @ 2:11 am
Three months ago, my boyfriend of two years broke up with me, and I was sad. Since that time, I’ve had limited contact with him through mutual friends, but even so – he’s completely unrecognizable to me. Since the breakup, I’ve since learned many things about his past that people were too polite to tell me when we were still a couple, and these insights go a long way in explaining his seeming ability to change his personality with the same ease he uses to change his underwear. I can’t say that I’m completely over the sad stuff; as a rule, I don’t like being single, and would rather be in a relationship. At the same time, I know now that his walking out of my life was the absolute best thing, as it frees me up to end up with someone with a little more heart and a lot less crazy.
September 11, 2012 @ 2:49 am
Yes. I’ll just leave it at that, no details. Of course, it’s usually in retrospect that we recognize something bad actually was a good thing in disguise.
September 13, 2012 @ 12:03 am
Often. In fact, I could say repeatedly. In reflection, I would say that is exactly why I am a lucky person…
September 13, 2012 @ 12:12 am
Yep. Three deaths in my immediate family (mother, brother, beloved aunt) during the first 5 months of 1990 woke me up to how short life is not to be yourself, leading me to begin the process of divorcing my husband of 17yrs, coming out, taking my son to another city, and starting a new life. Best decision I ever made …and it never would have happened if those 3 deaths had not occurred in such a short amount of time.
September 13, 2012 @ 12:35 am
Lost my job due to downsizing in Nov 2008. In Jan 2009 I founded a nonprofit called Creative Arts for Developing Minds that provides combined music, art and movement classes to foster care and adoptive children ages 2 through 12. I would not have been motivated to start this important, rewarding and necessary venture had I not lost my job.
September 13, 2012 @ 1:16 am
Due to my very poor math skills, I miscalculated my ovulation, resulting in a pregnancy I thought I didn’t want. I was negative on the first test (I’m on of the 1% who are negative on the first test when they are positive) and didn’t prove positive until I was past four months cut off time when an abortion would have been allowed. The result was MY SON!!! He has been the greatest joy of my life.
September 13, 2012 @ 1:25 am
Yes! LOTS of things. My first major break-up. She left me, and I was in young and in despair. Then I discovered my freedom and off I went. It was the best thing that happened to both of us. AND – another that comes to mind is when I was laid off my first typesetting job in New York. I was panic stricken. But I got on my bike, visited a few places and started free-lancing. I made my own hours, got paid WAY better, and my life changed forever.
OF course there are way more, though too personal to detail here. The last I’ll mention, however, is the diagnosis of something incurable that will be with me for the rest of my life. Had to leave New York, my work, etc. etc. Came here 23 years ago, was already seeing someone here for 3 years, and began my life over from scratch. Well, you know the rest…
xoxox
September 13, 2012 @ 1:38 am
MY best employee, who I had invested three years training, quit without notice- just disappeared! She decided, I learned through facebook, that she didn’t want to work with animals after all.
Well, now that I’m over it, my reduced payroll is enabling me to pay off business debt twice as fast, and my finacial outlook is rosy.
September 13, 2012 @ 1:50 am
Yes , being laid off after over 18 years at one job– led me to a new job in a different area, meeting new people , eventually led me to a new love & living in the city( big change after growing up in the country…)
September 13, 2012 @ 5:06 am
i think Im still a work in progress on that one. lol
No, no details.
September 13, 2012 @ 10:12 am
Yes. I hit a wall so hard this past year it was like an emotional concussion. Some things lost, some things gained. It still feel the pain, but I feel certain that if these circumstances did not present themselves and force me to face critical issues, I might not be here. And it is only up from here.
September 17, 2012 @ 6:14 pm
Every breakup I ever had led me to my wonderful partner of 27 years – so I thank my previous girlfriends for breaking up with me. I hope they found better people, too.
September 17, 2012 @ 8:15 pm
The first two times I was laid off jobs I worked terrifically hard to get were great for my career, as they resulted in my tripling my annual income in a year’s time (amazing how little experience it took to go from being an “entry level” technical writer to being a “senior” technical writer in the eyes of my consulting agency). The third time I was laid off, I got out of a toxic environment that I didn’t even know was destroying my energy and relationship. All in all, those three layoffs were quite good for me. All the same, I don’t ever want another one.
September 28, 2012 @ 10:32 am
I just saw you on Gay USA. You are a joy and great fun. Please don’t ever retire! We need you forever! Love you. Ira Lee