many lives
In a conversation with a friend recently, we got to talking about the number of times we’d started over or had our lives veer in different directions to the point it felt like we’d had several separate lives. It was such an interesting thought to *me* that I thought I’d try to recall my different paths ..
The first is easy enough – childhood, obviously! The longest I lived anywhere ever, the years from 2 – 11 were spent in a suburban neighbourhood of a large city. I had a small group of friends & spent most March Breaks visiting well-loved & much loving grandparents. I was a somewhat shy girl, but involved in many school activities & groups.
My second “life” of my teen years were markedly different. A number of things occurred within a short period of time & I went into a very bad depression. There was a move, a new school, a change of friends (I had all of 2 actually! 
) and well, we’ll just leave it that this was not a good period of my life.
The third life saw another move, another new school, a new small group of friends, my first boyfriend and a very introverted personality. I didn’t get involved in *anything* beyond work & the boyfriend at this point. It carried through to 1st year university where I was still involved with the by-now abusive boyfriend. I worked as a lifeguard & swimming instructor throughout this “life”.
I dropped the boyfriend at the end of 1st year, by second year had changed the name I used, moved (again!), got involved in a *bunch* of stuff and became very outgoing. That’s what .. life 4?
Life 5 involved a serious relationship that had me focusing just on him & his circle & not having contact with any of my previous friends. Not very healthy, huh? I think there were 2 more moves in there? Worked as a section editor for the school newspaper (another job I thoroughly enjoyed!)
Life 6 was the end of university & that relationship, another move and my first “real” job, working in the Marketing industry.
When I lost my job, I decided to start all over in a new city & with new friends. I spent a little time working as a portrait photographer for a large department store & really enjoyed that job. During this “life” I ran a BBS & taught myself the basics of html coding so there’s the geek roots showing for ya!
Life 8 had the boyfriend from life 5 re-entering my life with news of the death of a mutual friend. Somehow out of that, we got back together, I moved cities again & changed jobs again, ending up working for the MTO & once again found my social life revolving around him & his family & friends.
There’s a definite bridge between that life and the next, but it’s not enough to be a life of it’s own…. so we’ll call life 9 another move of cities, a new job that actually felt like a career move rather than “just a job” and an increased comfort in my own skin.
Life 10 is pretty much the one with my ex-husband … we moved cities, I started another new job, his girls were a major part of our lives for a time …. and obviously, that’s also when The Child came into my life 
The marriage ending meant the need to move again though ast least not as far & it meant different friends though not a different job. So maybe we’ll call that 10b or Aftermath ….
Losing that last job was very rough .. that life felt like purgatory!
This last move has meant leaving yet more friends behind, and of course making new friends. I’m in a completely different sector, living in a very different environment, and so far it’s an interesting Life!
… so that’s a good dozen for me! … whew!
