Turn Ons:This book was like a home-study course on healing from Post Marital Stress Disorder (PMSD).
Turn Offs: I developed potentially unrealistic expectations that, beyond Gabriel Cohen, there might be other evolved & "enlightened" men in NYC.
Rate My Date:
- Not My Type
- 1 Night Stand
- Crush
In Love
- Happily Ever After
For the first time since my separation and divorce, I've finally connected with someone who gets me. I feel like I've just had an intimate, 257-page conversation with Gabriel Cohen, author of "Storms Can't Hurt the Sky: A Buddhist Path Through Divorce". We commiserated over the pain we've felt from being abandoned by our EXes without forewarning. We discussed our haunting need for answers; not just in response to being dumped but; what it was about us that possibly contributed to the failure of our marriages. And, more importantly, how to manage the lingering depression, fears and negative emotions associated with the loss of love you assume is forever.
Gabriel Cohen's raw honesty about his own healing process through the practice of Buddhist principles inspired my own thought-provoking self-analysis and a new way of viewing myself other than just a victim of betrayal. I've been trying so hard to shed that post-divorce identity since I feel it creeping into all areas of my life and generating deep trust issues. That inability to trust is incredibly isolating and forces me to operate in fear of the ground (relationships) crumbling beneath me without warning. But, our page-by-page conversation introduced me to the idea that suffering actually originates in my own mind. I learned how to adjust my perception of seemingly negative events in ways that brings me greater self-awareness, clarity and peace in my heart. He reminded me of the importance of living each moment with abandon rather than trying to manipulate them. Also, to live each day free of expectation and judgement. After all, impermanence is a part of life and tough times are a valuable part of the deal.
