Where do I begin, upon meeting the person I thought I would grow old with, I had just turned 30 years old. I was full of life, confident and independent. All the things he liked about me, which attracted him to me.

Once we were married, he did everything he could to take all of those characteristics away from me. See, we had two different versions of what being married meant. I wanted to grow old with someone who did not want to grow old, in fact he is dating a girl in her 20's. Talk about a slap in the face.

Now I am back in the dating scene, as I have been separated and officially divorced for approx. 1 1/2 years and to my surprise, men my age want to date the young gals...wait a minute...the "very" young gals. To add insult to injury, I get the occassional telephone call from my "Ex" only to hear him tell me all of the wonderful things he is doing with his new gal and why didn't he think of doing these things with me?

Now, at 36 years old...no longer a young and perky gal, I am a woman with a little more wrinkles, some gray hair, and the self-confidence of a rock. I am still independent, I never lost that, but I struggle internally with wondering if someone will genuinely like me for me. In closing, although my ex-husband broke my heart, he did not break my spirit because I know that all I need right now is "one really GOOD kiss". I am hopeful.

-- Vera Benedetto