Exhibition space booked! - 15/02/20

Yesterday was my first Valentine's Day since separating from my husband. It wasn't the easiest day to get through but alas, it has passed. It helped that I was on a course all day for my new volunteering role within Children's Services. The subject was safeguarding so it wasn't the lightest of topics but necessary nonetheless.

Today my husband has been out and made arrangements for me to have exhibition space for my Forty@40 project next year. Despite the fact that we have separated we are very amicable and working together to care for the children. He continues to support me emotionally in lots of ways and this is a good example of how. He understands how stressed I have been about the blog and the lack of progress I have made with it. He realises that having a date set for the exhibition matters to me and that it will motivate me. Unfortunately one of the symptoms of my personality disorder is Avoidance; phone calls, social interactions and dealing with unfamiliar (or familiar!) people are things I frequently try to avoid or delay. In this instance R has taken the step of making the arrangements because for the bigger picture of my project, this will make a huge difference!

It wasn't possible to book March which would have been my preference but it is booked now for April 2021. At least I have something concrete to work towards; this will motivate me to get back into painting and to make a success of the project.

Living on an Island with both our families on the mainland we have had to rely on each other; we don't have anyone else! I don't have many friends and having BPD and the social anxiety that comes with that means it is difficult for me to initiate and maintain friendships. My personality type is INFJ (Myers-Briggs) and as such I avoid socialising at almost all costs and am actually pretty happy in solitude most of the time. However, in tougher, more emotionally challenging times, I do need support and reassurance and I know that with R, I will always get that. Our marriage may not have worked out but our friendship is strong and we will continue to be there for each other. I am so grateful for his support and am really proud of us both for being able to remain friends and continue to be united as parents to our children.