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Generally the Ex and I don’t fight, which is pretty awesome. But when we do? Good. Lord. It’s like listening to Sean Connery spiel about Capone in the Untouchables.
“They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. *That's* the *Chicago* way!”
Holy escalation.
A couple weeks ago we were both so tired and stressed that almost an entire year of amicable, laissez-faire friendship and awesome parenting unraveled in 5 short minutes.
Almost.
I don’t know how it happened. One minute we were fine and the next, um… incendiary.
At first it felt good. I’m not going to lie. It was like this amazing release of molten hot rage that had been bubbling up for months.
And no one was going to back down. Because all of a sudden, our positions were life-and-death important. Which is hilarious because I can’t remember what those positions were.
All I know is that the dirty Ikea couch in the living room? It was going to be worth $25, 000. The house? 10 rounds, minimum. Custody? Ever seen Irreconcilable Differences?
“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!!”
“FINE. Bring it!”
I was shaking with rage and my eyes were burning (think Zuul) as I slammed the car door.
And then I stopped.
I felt awful.
Worse than awful.
I sat there for a few minutes desperately wanting to reset the last 5 minutes of animosity.
And then I realized I could.
I walked back to the house and knocked on the door — that’s all I needed to do. There were hugs and tears and lots of snot.
Then we talked about 5 things we were going to do to make sure it never happened again.
Apologizing Is Not Backing Down
Leave your ego at the door. If you don’t feel good about what you’ve said, and you’re sitting there feeling like crap about the way you’ve dealt with the situation, change it.
Apologize.
Saying your sorry isn’t saying ‘Oh by the way I totally reneg every valid point I made earlier.’
It means ‘I didn’t want to hurt you.’
It also means ‘This sucks.’
It also means ‘This is so hard.’
You are the one who ultimately imbues it with meaning, so use your voice.
Don’t Take Things Personally
What did it take for you to get to the point of no return? What did it take for your partner/ex to get there? More often than not a big fight has very little to do with the other person. Think about how often you’ve had a horrible day compounded by let’s say, the worst traffic in the world, and then the fact that your ex is 5 minutes late to meet you catches you off guard and you explode. Try and step back and look at it from the other person’s standpoint. You may not be able to stop the explosion, but understanding that it has nothing to do with you can contain it somewhat and give you that extra dash of patience and compassion to deal with difficult conversations.
Acknowledge Your Feelings, and Be Proactive
If you know you are having a doozy of a day, be honest with yourself (and your ex). Take time for yourself. Rest. Acknowledge that you’re frustrated and that you have a short-fuse. There’s nothing wrong with saying: “Hey. Let’s do this tomorrow. Today is horrible, and I’d rather chat when I’m in a good mood and focused on a solution.”
Simple and super effective.
Keep It About the 2 of You
People weigh in on situations. We all do it. And even if we don’t take their advice it sits there in our brains, maybe influencing the way we filter through future information.
During an argument it’s no different. Except that those perspectives — as well-intentioned as they may be — are basically high ethanol fuel to the fire.
How many times have you been in a spat and then out of no where you whip out the ‘Well my mother HATES you’ card? And what exactly does that have to do with anything?
Be Kind To Your Future Self
When you start getting to the boiling point, remember your goals. Project into the future and see you and your ex being amicable. See your amazing kids laughing. Visualize yourself in a positive, healthy relationship, and imagine everyone happy and thriving. You’d be surprised how doing this for 10 seconds when you hit DEFCON 1 can change the entire course of a conversation. Try it. Trust me.
You are probably going to fight, and that’s ok. Fighting isn’t bad. It’s just conflict, and conflict is the harbinger of any kind of change and growth. It’s not the most pleasant aspect of life, but it can also lead to amazing transformations.
Try and remember that the struggle you are experiencing now is giving way to something completely different.
And you have a say in what that is, and how it rolls out.
Stay Positive.
XO Kat
Pole dancing is an all-year round super fun fitness regimen that will have you feeling like a kid, and Valentines is the perfect excuse to try it now.
I did, and I love it.
Hands down.
I headed over to Aradia Fitness Oakville to meet with Owner/Instructor Jane Wilson to find out as much as I could about the pole, and learn some awesome moves.
Jane is lovely, effervescent and all smiles, and her Oakville studio is warm and inviting.
Also, she’s wearing pants. This comforts me frankly, as I had a preset notion that I’d have to film wearing booty shorts, even the mention of which makes me stop breathing in a kind of fashion panic.
“No, no..” She’s quick to reassure me. “When you’re starting out you wear pants. Wear whatever makes you feel comfortable, actually. It’s much later on when you learn inversions (that’s hanging upside down) that you wear shorts.”
Now that that’s settled our conversation floats to the size of the classes and the people who frequent them.
“It’s really amazing. There are women of every age and every stage of life… mentorships and friendships are formed..”
Amazing.
Also, Dads? This isn’t just for women. There are tons of great choreographies and moves on the pole that are perfect for guys. Seriously.
Watch me in action here — the whole Trying Times scoop:
I was so excited to spend 3 hours doing a pole dancing for fitness crash course, filming Jane’s awesome performance moves, and getting to know her. Thanks so much Jane.
Stay Positive!
XO Kat
Earlier this year I started to realize that this blog was not just about my life journey as a newly separated mom. I literally woke up one day and thought that there’s so much more to it all. There are as many truths and stories to share as there are facets in a person. And while yes, some days I’m prone to believing that I have to bash through certain hardships to get where I want to be (and that’s what I generally write about), there are other days that I seem to possess the kind of calm that says ‘You are doing everything right. It’s your path. You can’t actually do anything wrong. Now get out there and DO stuff.’
It was a great moment for me.
I realized that that transition is not always the uphill climb. It’s also the lovely downhill rush of throwing your hands in the air and hearing your own elated scream ripping past your ears as you woosh — yes, WOOSH to somewhere else.
And whether you know where you’re going and your scream is more of a battle cry, or you’ve squeezed your eyes shut and are white-knuckling the rail, well... isn’t it a bit of a rush? Isn't it wonderful? Isn't it worth moments of discomfort and uncertainty?
My coach Jeffrey Eisen keeps reminding me that those sticky periods of ‘low and slow’ emotions like sadness or anxiety are often followed by periods where everything feels faster, lighter and saturated with brightness. We simply can’t have one without the other.
It’s what we live for. It’s why we ask ‘Why Not?’ instead of ‘Why?’ and it’s why I decided to share this brightness with you when it happens to me.
Here's how.
I’m going to do things I’ve never done but have always wanted to, all year.
I’m going to video them when I can.
And I’m posting them here, on my Trying Times blog.
First Up?
Pole Dancing. Naturally.
Watch me learn some awesome moves on the pole from Jane Wilson, the Owner/Instructor of Aradia Fitness Oakville here.
Stay Positive!
XO Kat