How I Found My Muse, Abandoned a Toxic Relationship, and Launched a Joyful Adventure
It all started with a new pair of glasses
In late 2018, I re-launched myself as a professional artist. I also left my marriage. Both of these changes were long-overdue, and it was impossible to make the first without the second.
As I approached the age of 50, I had become aware that I did not feel good about myself. I felt physically frumpy, and invisible as an individual. I did not like it. This was not the me I used to be, nor the me I wanted to be. This sense of myself was unfamiliar and unwanted. How did this happen, and more importantly, how could I change this?
A month or so after the big birthday, I went shopping for new eyeglasses. I tried on a bunch of frames at the optometrist office, probably 40 or more, narrowing the choice down to three. I was struggling with choosing because I really wanted some colour on the frames and mostly the options were browns and neutrals. Then the shop assistant said, “Try these, I’m curious how they will look on you.” She handed me the red-with-gold-metal, horn-rimmed frames. I gave her an I-don’t-think-so look, but took them just to prove they would not look good. As soon I put them on, my face brightened up. This was something interesting. I smiled and felt a bit mischievous; a familiar feeling, but one I had…
