Home > Work > Rewriting My Happily Ever After - A Memoir of Divorce and Discovery
61 " When the walls reverberated with the innocent laughter and joy that children bring to the present moment without the baggage of the past or worries about the future, a great weight lifted from my shoulders. "
― Ranjani Rao , Rewriting My Happily Ever After - A Memoir of Divorce and Discovery
62 " My deep desire for motherhood was a yearning that overshadowed any accomplishment I could claim as mine. "
63 " I was already missing large parts of Shreya’s life by being away at work for long hours and because of her weekends with her father. Yet I had never considered sending her away either for her benefit or mine. We were yoked together by biology and karma. Our situation was not ideal, but at least we had each other. "
64 " Could she be happy outside my daily, direct control? The answer was yes. It was a blow to my ego, but it was true. The epiphany lifted a great weight off my shoulders. Even though I could not understand the grand scheme of things, I could see what was truly important when I applied a simple filter—my child’s well-being—to the situation. "
65 " Growing up is never easy. We think it happens when you reach a certain age, accomplish a goal, acquire a house, or reach a milestone, but it doesn’t stop. "
66 " Being a part of an initiative to solve a problem of this proportion gave me a purpose that was much larger than my own. "
67 " I grieved for what was yet to come. But I grieved more for what I had lost: myself. I may not have grown in inches as my grandmother had almost a century ago, but I had certainly allowed marriage to change me in fundamental ways. "
68 " I was at a fork in the road of my life where it was clear that certain plans were not going to materialize the way I had hoped. Yet within the whirlpool of the issue lay the kernel of the solution. "
69 " The path of least resistance led to hibernation. "
70 " Given my tough road to motherhood, I considered Shreya a gift bequeathed to both of us. I could not treat her like property and use her as a bargaining chip or tool for reward or punishment while we figured out the next steps. I was clear about that. "
71 " The memorable days are few. Most days are a blur of chores and errands and activities that don’t really add up to anything significant. But there is value in savoring the simple joys that each day brings. There is power in being able to choose not just your home and its contents but how you see your life and its context. "
72 " It wasn’t that difficult to cook. Or to eat well. The key was to do it with love, for myself and for my family. "
73 " Music connected me with something outside myself, even if only for a moment. For that moment, it held my fears at bay and with each passing day, helped me climb up from the dark pit that had once seemed bottomless. "
74 " The worst thing about your life falling apart is that the world takes no notice. "
75 " I had lost the anonymity that came from conformity. "
76 " Meditation made me sick.Meditation made me mad.Meditation made me sad.Meditation gave me hope.Meditation pointed toward a way.Meditation showed me not just how to live my life but also how to think about life itself. "
77 " Everything you do does not need to have a practical use; it’s important to make space for beauty. "
78 " It took more than motherhood to move me toward meditation. I first had to lose things—my mother, my marriage, my cynicism. I had to make life-changing decisions. Yet I moved, step by step, into the unknown inner world. Hesitatingly. Skeptically. Slowly. "
79 " There was rain, but there were rainbows too. "
80 " So much of the “why” of life is a mystery. When logic fails, karma fills the gaps. "