Starting over...

Hi all,

I’m new here and very glad to have found this group. At 59, I’m firmly in the “later in life” camp, but I’ve only recently come out to myself and started becoming comfortable with the idea that I’m gay. At this point, you are the first people I’ve admitted this to.

I never really dated much, but when I was 40, I met a woman who I thought was my soul mate and we got married 2 years later. During my marriage I was very happy, and no longer had any thoughts of being gay, though I still noticed other guys at times. But after 10 years, that marriage came to a sudden unexpected end when my wife surprised me with divorce papers. (She never really explained why, but it was obvious to me that there was another guy in the picture.)

After the 20 month long messy divorce finally ended, it was a long time before I even wanted to consider dating again and remarrying.

But after the emotional dust settled, I gradually started to re-examine my long repressed feelings about other guys. It’s taken 4 more years, but I’ve finally admitted to myself who I am. And within the last week or so, I’ve felt as if an enormous weight has been lifted from me.

It’s amazing to me how much happier I feel suddenly, even though I have yet to admit it to any of my friends or family. It’s like a kind of rebirth.

And now, I’m filled with so many questions about how to proceed. So I’m very happy to have found this forum, where it seems some of you have had stories not so dissimilar to my own. I’m looking forward to sharing the journey with all of you.

 

Thanks for the welcome, guys!

 

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! I really glad to have found EC.

And thanks Choirboy, for the very helpful and insightful posts of yours that I've read in the Later in Life section. It is a great place indeed.

 

Thanks, Kor, Miiaaaaa and Butterfly. I'm happy to be here!