Janeane, a new client, sat across from me in my therapy office, her eyes a contradictory mix of emotions that I was trying to pinpoint.
“Tell me what’s going on,” I prompted her.
“My husband passed away, and I’m beginning to think about dating again. I casually mentioned it to my daughters, and they were totally appalled by the idea, horrified that I could fathom ‘replacing dad’ as they put it. I feel guilty about getting out there again, but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life alone. I adored Paul. No one will ever fill his shoes, but I enjoyed being married. I want someone to go out to dinner with, to travel with, to cuddle with at night. Feelings aside, the dating world has completely changed since Paul and I met 35 years ago. I have no idea what I’m doing, how I feel about it, or how I should go about it.”
I’d heard several iterations of Janeane’s story over the years and felt excited about being a part of her journey back out into the wild. I communicated as much but also validated the painful mix of emotions she was grappling with.
