Beyond this place there be dragons

This is a post that I have felt the need to write for a long time. You may like me less by the time you get to the end of it. So be it. I can't avoid writing it and there might be someone out there for whom it may even be of use.

When I was in my twenties I saw things as absolutes. Black or white with no room for shades of grey. And I judged people accordingly. People I met were either fabulous or hideous, there was no space in between. The self-appointed queen of judgementalism, me. There were a whole lot of things that I held in contempt - things like marriage (during the Trotsky period), becoming a wage-slave and infidelity.

I got over the marriage aversion pretty quickly when there was no other alternative but for the French and I to go through the ritual. And then I shocked the hell out of my socialist pricinples by sobbing through the ceremony. An irony that was not lost on most of the people at the service. Becoming a wage slave came with the territory, you know the deal, the sudden acquisition of whitegoods, the house and car mortgage. One moment you're in torn jeans with multiple body piercings the next you are in a tailored pantsuit with a tasteful string of pearls. What the fuck happened?

Infidelity. Not cool in my book. You meet someone, you realise they are your partner for life. You settle down together, maybe bust out a few kids - FIN - No messing about. Not that the odd bit of flirtation is out of the question. I could flirt for Australia if it became an Olympic sport, I like men, can't help it. But no funny business. 

So what do you do when someone comes into your life who turns you inside out and upside down? This happened to me last year, I met someone and fell completely and uncategorically in love with them. There were no corners or handles to hold onto. I was in that space of which the early cartographers would write 'beyond this place there be dragons'. 

I am not going to try and defend my conduct in this. He was and is a married man. I knew this and yet it didn't stop me. I actively sought a relationship with someone I had no right to be with, I knew that I was betraying not only his partner but my own. Still this didn't deter me. I would have done almost anything for this man if he had asked. None of this sat lightly on my shoulders, I lost my appetite, I lost weight, I couldn't sleep. I cried my body weight in tears of blood.

The one thing I am proud of is that I told Olive at the outset. He knew and amazingly he watched and waited. His conduct was amazing - he didn't judge me, he didn't ban me from seeing this other man. He simply bore witness and asked me not to leave. This might sound weird but remember, he is French and they have a very different take on infidelity to we Anglo-Saxons. In hindsight it was probably the smartest thing he could do. If he had tried to ban me from seeing this man chances are I would have done exactly the opposite. 

As it was the man that I fell in love with did not feel the same as me after some time. It ended before it had really begun. And I have been floundering ever since. It would be a lie to say I no longer feel the same way, if I could make it go away I would. My hope is that with time this will recede for me.

Do I regret that this ever happened? No, I don't. I know a lot more about myself even if itsn't the kind of things I would have liked to know in my twenties. I am no angel. But fuck it, I'm trying. I struggle with my demons and try to chart a choppy path towards integrity. I have a helluva lot more empathy for people in this situation now and I mean ALL the players.

This will also sound bloody awful but I am still grateful to have a deep capacity for love. When I fall for people I do it deeply and irrevocably, friend or lover. I know I will always love this man, I don't have any anger or resentment towards him that he doesn't share how I feel, it is what it is. My gratitude and love for Olive and the way he is trying to steer us through this is without words.

This post is not to ask for your forgiveness or for you to grant me some kind of immunity from blame. I write it because I need to and because no one ever really talks about this kind of stuff. We sweep it under the carpet and pretend it's not there. But it is there and for better or for worse it helps to talk about it. 

Comments

[Lara]

Oh Wow. I don't think that I have commented much on your blog before Nanette but this is an amazing post. The world IS in shades of grey. Thanks for posting this. Your honesty and integrity makes me think. I think that both you and Olive are amazing. And exemplary for both your conduct in terms of human frailty and reality.

[Jodie]

I have always loved you Nan...you are a good egg.

[Maggie]

Wow. I really admire people that can be that honest. I know I prefer to have my 'secrets' out in the open, that way they can't haunt me, in that I'm not terrified of being 'found out'. Olive sounds like one really smart dude. X

[Ellie -Petalplum]

Oh you are so strong to share this. I think I love you all the more for your pure real honesty and total openness - you're right, this love you have isn't something people talk about often (mostly in some silly novel). I know my man wouldn't have behaved the way Olive has (I never knew his name, only The Frenchman) - and all respect to him seeing the situation as it was and giving you space to fight your own demons and oceans and tears.
I hope you can find a peace and contentment in your love for this other man - and a strenghtening in your love for your Frenchman. xxxx
{isn't it lucky we're all past our 20s and have a tiny bit more understanding of the world and less judgement of other peoples journeys and decisions. I don't think I'd want to be 20 again!!}

[Elizabeth]

Things happen - we aren't as in control of ourselves as we are taught we should be. It sounds like you're having a hard time, and I hope you can manage. Thankyou for your posts, which I value.

[Kirsty]

Bloody great and brave post Nanette. Love to all of you x

[Julie Luca]

We all have dragons of some sort or another. Thanks for sharing your struggle. I gives the rest of us strength.

[Michelle]

Honesty in a blog post? Dude - I'm so dumping you!

Seriously though - I love that you are brave enough to put this, and these issues, in words. I have a pile of 'unbloggable' posts that are my own little therapy and they will always stay in the drafts folder, but man. Thanks so much for putting it out there.

All my love to you and Olive. I strongly believe the glue that makes the shattered heart whole also makes it more resilient, and more loving. Look after each other xxx

P.S Love you to pieces.

[Tania]

Just catching my breath. Not at the 'news' but at the stark honesty. Brave lady. Brave Olive. xx

[Verity]

I think you are all brave and wonderful - the headiness of desire; the tangle of growth and roots as we age and intertwine. To not fight but to wait and and let a path become visible.
Life is grey, but also other shades. I wish you all only good things. You are a honest and good.

[Melissa G]

I think you have done something incredible here - you have been honest. And I am not referring to the blogging. I mean that you were honest with your husband and you were honest with yourself.
I guess some of the greatest lessons in life is truth but also forgiveness. Just because we grow up and stop being children doesn't mean we don't still have a lot to learn.
Take care Nan. I hope you will feel better soon. And give that incredible husband a big hug - you'll both feel better for it.

[Miss-E]

I have not commented on your blog, ever. I completely fell in love with the virtual you for a moment while reading this. This is an amazing post. I don't know your life and I feel the same way about infidelity, but when people are dishonest about it is when my Judgy McJudgy comes out. From just what I know from the post, you and yours both sound like super wonderful human beings. I can't imagine going through something like that or even posting about it. I don't think any of us can control emotions. After some experimentation with a previous open marriage, I now realize monogamy is what is best for me, but I am aware that stories like yours happen all of the time and it is too complex for anyone outside of it to judge. I wish the best for all involved and appreciate your openness.

[Jennie from Mrs Beckinsale]

You're human. I commend you for telling your partner what was going on. That's the type of adult I'd hope to be if I ever found myself in the same situation.

[Rochelle]

I too have done the unthinkable, been the person I had never thought to be. At the time I was too much awash in emotions and astonishment to judge myself, let alone control myself. The lack of control was what surprised me.

I am sorry for your pain. I am sorry for your husband's pain. He too must be an extraordinary human being.

And, to be honest, I am astonished that the man you fell in love with managed to blink his eyes away from your gloriousness. The honesty and openness you brought to this is astounding. I am glad you have such an enormous heart and I hope that the rich extent of love you have is restored (that isn't the right word, I am sorry) into your marriage.

I will find myself hoping, often, for your heart and for the hearts around you.

[carol @ perennial]

Sending you love and respect.
Carol

[Kate]

Very honest and brave - I thought life got easier as you got older, but it's weird to discover it doesn't and realise there are so many more shades of grey.

[Amber @ thegiddyaunt]

Oh Nanette, I'm so very sorry to read your of your heartache. Passionate lives get more than their fair share of pain. You've reminded us that assuming idylls based on the masks others present to the world blinds us to their pain and an opportunity for compassion. I'm so moved by the honesty, insight and humanity of you and Olive, and hope that soon you'll see life not only in shades of grey, but all the kaleidoscopic colours of the rainbow.

[flowerpress]

Sending lots of thoughts your way. It sounds like you have all weathered hard and emotional times. The heart does its own thing and you can't direct it, I so hope it all gets easier with time. x

[Kate]

Gosh. I read that post heart in mouth and then close the window really quickly. Your bravery and straight up honesty was shocking - but in a totally wonderful way. I've been thinking of it ever since, and came back today to comment. Not really to say anything other than: I take my hat off to you. It is a hard road, to be sure, but honesty is a powerful force. All the very best to you and your family.

[katiecrackernuts]

Oh Nan. My heart aches for you and for you all. I am, was, am the other woman. I know. I know. I know. I am not proud. It just is, was, is. My partner left her husband of some 13 years and now, 16, years later, here we are. Through fire. Through ice. Through goodness knows what else. It is, was, is a gauntlet.

Nothing else. Nothing else. Nothing else to say other than to know life is, it just is. You can think you know, but you never ever really do. Here's to living.

Love, love, love.

[kate]

So very brave...all of you x

[Clare]

Thank you for writing this post .

[Kirsty]

xxx

[Suzi]

Life is never as easy as it seems but we all grow stronger for it,painfully at times.Be kind to yourself.

[Maeve]

I feel too tired and too old now to find the passion to fall in love with that kind of lust... but I used to have that capacity. Finding my partner and having children later probably took some of the flirting wind out of my sails. Yet I know exactly what you mean. I wish I could remember the guest they had on radio national a month or so ago that was talking about how humans were really designed pyschologically and physically to be serial monogomists. Anthropologically speaking we are fighting against the tide with this forever after scene. I have also been watching Tribal Wives on the ABC and been fascinated about the ways in which we humans treat relationships.

You are simply the most honest person I have ever come across,and I admire you for that; and worry for you a little too. That kind of on the sleeve passion and honesty is exhausting. One of my main hopes for my own daughter is that when she falls in love with a man, that it is indeed intense and most importantly that he realises he is damn lucky to have her love and she is loved in return.

You seem a lovely person, Olive seems a lovely person and you both love your children. You are an amazing family that probably have much to teach us all. Thanks for the words.