Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Social security updated: check. Driver's license changed: check. Employee data information updated: check.  The only big item left to deal with is my passport. I figured notifying my employer, social security, and the DMV were most important. And they're done. Then it's all the little things, like the utility providers. I'm less concerned about them and will take my time getting those switched over to my new old name.  My new old name. Every time I tell myself I am now JKP, I feel like I'm slipping into that favorite comfy sweater with the sleeves fraying at the wrists. Signing my name makes me feel like the me before I married. It feels so right. I am JKP. I know I can never be anything else. When I set off this morning to take care of all the updating/changing, I met the kindest bus driver. His name is Rod. We chatted about the holidays for a bit, and I wished him a safe day. He sort of stopped when I said that and nodded, saying he certainly...

It is officially official -- I have returned to my maiden name. After the judge signed the order, after the young woman handed me three copies with the court's seal, I had to restrain myself from dancing out of the justice center. Like when I signed the lease for the first unit the kids and I lived in, I felt a sense of freedom. My whole last name thing was the very first issue that cropped up in my marriage. Like the second day of my marriage. I intended to keep my maiden name. My husband opposed. Vehemently opposed. What will my mother think? he said. For weeks we went round and round about me changing my last name. To stop the bickering, I changed my last name. That was my first mistake. Giving in on that issue was like the crack in the lake's ice weakening the entire surface. Over the years other issues pushed against that crack until we fell through. My main goal for 2018 was to change my last name back to my maiden name. I went to a lawyer to talk about this and ...