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Planet Soul
The Power of Devotion
How to bring more happiness, ease, and connection into your life
A couple years ago, I was at a restaurant for dinner with a good friend. I often met with her on Tuesday evenings after I met with my sangha — my meditation group. During this period, there was a lot of tension in my marriage. Interactions with my husband were volatile, and I felt like I was walking on eggshells all the time. Despite this, I carried on begrudgingly believing that some level of unhappiness was part of life. In contrast, this was a night I looked forward to, and it always left me feeling grounded, joyful, and optimistic. As we were sitting there, I heard the ding of my phone indicating that I received a text. It was from my husband.
The text was written in all caps demanding the whereabouts of the hydrocortisone cream. It included profanity and name-calling (I believe it was “selfish bitch”). I wish I could say I was surprised to receive a text like this from my husband, but I wasn’t.
This exchange was just the tip of the marital-discord iceberg, it made me stop to ask myself: Is this really how I want to live my life?
The answer was an unequivocal and succinct “fuck no.” I finally admitted to myself that I wasn’t happy in my marriage. I realized—despite my best…