It's interesting that at least a couple of people on this thread have mentioned five years as being the timespan needed to recover from the end of a long-long-term relationship or marriage. The advice I was given on a divorce recovery course was that it takes around 5 years for you to regain an inner equilibrium, and also that during that time it's unwise to enter into any new relationships. Five years ! At the time, that sounded endless and downright ridiculous to me, but, five years on from my divorce, I see how very wise and true that is.

In other words.....it takes time for everything to settle. Things start to feel OK, then suddenly, out of the blue, you find yourself all shaken up and bewildered again, but gradually the spaces between those times of shaky uncertainty get longer and longer. That's been my experience, anyway. It's normal and natural to feel the way you do.

Something I've found is that one tentative step leads to another more positive one....and another....and another...maybe branching off into a totally different direction from the one you originally intended, but supported by all the steps taken before and therefore leaving you in no doubt that it is the right one for you. Give *voice* to your hopes and dreams. Tell people about them. Somehow, by telling other people, ambitions take on a greater force than if they are only swimming around in your thoughts.

With all good wishes for your big adventure,
- jeanie