Unhappily Married in a Big House or Happily Divorced in an Apartment? Which Do You Choose?
I chose to leave the big house.
I recently read a story by Honor Jones in The Atlantic called “How I Demolished My Life” and it really hit, well, home. Jones wrote about her desire to renovate her house where she lived with her husband and children only to realize afterward what she actually wanted was a divorce.
This story struck a chord with me because my boyfriend said exactly the same thing about his own divorce. He and his now-ex-wife had decided to remodel their home, pouring thousands of dollars into the project.
They made the house into an architectural gem. But all the process ended up doing was making him realize how miserable he was in his marriage.
He’d planned this remodel as a last-ditch effort to save his relationship. Sure, he wanted to create an ideal place for his children to come home to with their families.
He’d wanted to underline his commitment to his wife — but as soon as the remodel was finished, it dawned on him just how dissatisfied he was.
He realized he’d rather be camped in a tent outside in the yard than stuck inside that huge, gorgeous house any longer with his wife. And so he left her.
