“You’re catching me at one of the weakest times in my life,” says Meggen Harris: Forbes Lifestyle contributor, ghostwriter of Fortune 500 company campaigns, and lifelong entrepreneur. All I could think was, what’s your definition of “weak”?
After handing her signed divorce papers to a notary scantily clad in a barbarian beer-girl costume at her local UPS this past Halloween, it’s clear to tell the details of her life are anything but ordinary. After 20 years of marriage, Harris’s best piece of advice about moving on post-divorce is to reflect on the relationship’s good years over the bad.
“He’s a great guy. Sometimes it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. A relationship is, in many ways, another business: it requires work, love, and attention,” Harris explains.
Now in her current “dating craze,” as she calls it, she’s learned that rules have long since changed in the courtship between men and women. When it comes to topics of women asking men out, planning the date, and now splitting the bill, she says it’s all very confusing. Whether her opinions on dating are generational or not, she sees herself as very old-school. She wants the men she dates to court her: pick her up, plan the date, pay the bill, and make her feel like they’re committed to the “courtship phase”. But in today’s day and age, strong and independent women like her are seen as a paradox to traditional dating rules.
At 47 years old, Meggen sees the current state of her life mirroring life as it was in her 20s. She doesn’t necessarily see that outlook as being a negative thing, but dating younger men and hanging out around a younger crowd in general definitely plays a huge part in it.
“I’ve been with guys whom I’ve menstruated longer than they’ve been on the planet,” she laughs, recounting her crazy dating life. And trust me, it’s crazy in the best way possible.
She’s reviving her youth, and better yet, having fun. Partaking in the infamous Miami nightlife, dating scene, and writing stories of her life experiences in her Forbes column, there’s no limit her age brings her.
However, as glamorous and amusing as her lifestyle reads, Meggen confides her biggest adversary is feeling alone. She’d gotten so used to doing everything with her ex: traveling the world, buying/flipping real estate, and running several businesses together. Immediately after her divorce, doing these things alone changes a person.
“Especially travel. Traveling sucks when you’re alone. You want to share the food, the sights. You want to share what you’re smelling, tasting, and hearing,” Harris says.
Being alone has never made her regret her decision to get divorced, as she believes regret is a waste of bandwidth. But she does miss the collaboration of it all, it being the key player to her greatest ideas as a creative and innovative person.
“I’m comfortable by myself but I want to put something good into the world. My creativity feels threatened by loneliness.”
To me, I see a woman whose capability to move on knows no bounds. Whether it be from a job, a man, a business, or a concept for an article, Meggen Harris embodies self-confidence in her decision making unlike any other woman I’ve met. She consciously chooses to be alone, but never lonely.
Article Written by Anesa Feratovic
Check out Meggen’s work at https://www.forbes.com/sites/meggenharris/
