"Time Is Out Of Joint" Shakespeare's, Hamlet

Sometimes the strangest words catch my attention.  Not that I find Shakespeares work stange, well perhaps sometimes I do, however this line resonated strongly with me.  When I look back over my 70 something years time has been out of joint so often that is has more the rule rather than the exception.  When I became a mother, right after my 16th birthday, most of my friends still had a year or two to finish high school.  When I became a mother the second time, just before my 18th birthday, most of my peers were talking prom dresses and graduation.  After my first divorce at 20 most of my friends were thinking of getting engaged.  Things certainnly seemed backward and time seemed out of joint.

My first divorce was actually funny, but only in hindsight.  At the time it was frightening, sometimes terrifying.  In 1958 you had to be 21 years old to be given custody of your own children.  I wasn't therefore I could not be granted custody of my children.  In fact I was to young to get a divorce legally.....I hadn't been to young to get pregnant, get married, give birth twice, but I was to young to get divorced.  This was somehow overcome by having myself and my two children put in step father's custody, I chose him over my mother, if you had known my mother you would understand why.  I wish I still had my divorce papers, I am referred to as the infant (I was under 21) and the spinster (I had been unmarried previous to my marraige) in the same paragraph.  In 1958 the only grounds for divorce was adultery; I volunteered to be the infant adulteress, even at that age I thought the word "adulteress" was pretty neat.  However, the courts would not just take my word that I was guilty of adultery, I had to pay someone who I had never met $200 to swear that I had was guilty ( I developed a real respect for the law at a young age).

I became a grandmother at age 38, that same year two of my friends became first time mothers.  I began my real career when I was closing in on 50 years old, many people I knew were planning their retirement at that time.  Yup, "Time has certainly been out of joint for me".

Thoughts In The Afternoon

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011...........4;22p.m.