This week I’ve been thinking a lot about the institution of divorce. Not because of my personal circumstances, but after having read an Instagram post of someone I know announcing such an alteration in her relationship. Some months ago, another person I follow had similarly posted about their changed status. What I found intriguing and commendable in both instances was the dignified nature of their language. Neither felt the need to offer the world explanations, or get into specifics. There was an acknowledgement that the marital situation was not ideal, but no airing of intimate laundry, no partner bashing, no defensiveness. I even wondered if there was something empowering about their posts for others who may be on the fence about their relationships, if it could offer the push some of us sometimes need to stop inhabiting a space of inertia just because it is comfortable and familiar.

I thought about the divorced women in my own life, whom I respect enormously for having had the courage to make an informed decision about their relationship, who went against the grain and acted in a manner that expressed a loyalty towards their personal happiness. It is challenging, to put it mildly, to arrive at a point at which one finds the resolve one needs to make a life-altering decision to move forward independently and begin anew. It really ought to be celebrated.