Hi Jen,
I love SA's analogy of the leg. It sums it up pretty neatly - they're just too gutless to administer the coup de gras, so having dragged us through cr*p they make us finish it off too.!
Smoking is better than alcoholism
No contact for 130+ hours by now! Go girl! I think Kathryn's right - it probably doesn't seem like long to him at all. But be cautious aout getting your hopes up. The no-contact is for your sanity, not to get them to call you. I'd not rung ex for weeks, only seen him very briefly when I went to collect stuff, and he's never rung me. I rang him on Sat morning as a result of one counselling session - bad idea. I'd recommend leaving them to stew in their own juices. Us putting pressure on them is only going to make the situation worse. Us starting to pull away from them will make us stronger and them weaker.
I'm sorry to hear your eldest is having a rough time of it. You're right, nobody deserves this. I hear cranberry juice is supposed to be very good for urinary tract infections (My grandmother get them all the time)?
I'm normally a very independent person and hate asking for help too. But this has taught me that we all need help. Asking for help strengthens bonds with friends and collegues, makes you human. I've nearly broken down in front of my boss at our weekly meetings! But showng our feelings is part of our strength. 'A trouble shared...'
You have held it together. You may have wobbled at times but so have we all.
You sound better to me.
How's it going with the restraining order?
Big hugs,
Axx