Worse than Swimming in Modesto

My mom always had a funny way of trying to get someone to snap out of their depression. She would repeat story after story about people that were "worse off that you" . Let's see , there was one armed Stacy up the block that could no longer play the drums......There was Debbie Steinbaumwitz who had that operation for her gallstones , a surgical instrument was left inside her and she now can't board a plane for fear of setting off metal detectors. While well intended, these stories never really accomplished their task ...To make me feel better. Instead I was in limbo with my own horrible feelings, and also wondering about the fate of the entire Wantagh Jewish Center (my parents house of worship).

As I gear up for my impending divorce words from attorneys and judges fly over my head. Most of the time I can only grasp about 6 for every 20 that I hear. Phrases like divided assets .....The selling of the marital home .....Residential custodial parent ....Hit me like punches in the center ring.

As we sit across from each other, out of the corner of my eye I watch him. I wonder what he's thinking. Where was that crystal ball 1o years ago when I needed it? If I had really paid attention was the information there for me to have known this was going to happen. How could I have known ? Roy Horn climbed into the cage with a tiger how many times before he was turned into Las Vegas Hamburger Helper? He made a lethal mistake , he forgot what he was dealing with ....A tiger. Maybe I'm Roy Horn.

So are things bad? Sure . Could they be worse? Sure. Could this divorce settlement not go my way, and could I risk loosing everything

But at least I'm not swimming in Modesto.

Update 4:15 -REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Scott Peterson (news - web sites) was convicted Friday of murdering his pregnant wife and dumping her body in San Francisco Bay in what prosecutors in the made-for-cable-TV case portrayed as a cold-blooded attempt to escape marriage and fatherhood for the bachelor life.

Maybe I should keep the faith.