A Perfectly Imperfect Life

By Dianna Marenakis Louizos

Recounting 84 years of life, surprised me as I perceived details with an altered consciousness and memories with new perspectives. My story begins during adolescence and continues through a failed 20 year marriage. I was seventeen when I married someone five years older; we were separated by more than years, we were separated by social cognition. After twenty years and three children, infidelity prompted a divorce and I began questioning everything about marriage, "how is it we naively trust ourselves to remain faithful to one person forever?" "It seems absurd " When my growing children were reaching an age to leave home, I struggled with feelings of abandonment and insecurity. Foolishly, I searched for a replacement husband until that failed, after which I turned to education in search of a degree. While attending University, I enrolled in a recreational Tai Chi class and engaged in a relationship with the instructor. After four years, he abandoned me for a younger woman and the heartbreak forced me to confront a second failed relationship while discovering the inner strength to enjoy life as a single woman. At 59, I was faced with a life threatening illness, adopting a healthier philosophy and attitude toward life. After surviving cancer, at 62, I risked it it all and moved to far western China, to teach English as a second language. The financial crisis in 2008 devastated my retirement fund and by 2011, I was living in Manhattan to be closer to my children who all live on the eastern seaboard. The move to Manhattan created serious life adjustments for me at a time when I was experiencing physical and cognitive changes due to my advancing years. Surviving in the city was exhausting and I returned to my roots in California. My life continues to evolve and I'm at peace, expecting less while taking great pleasure in the simplest happenstance ( a phone call, lunch with a friend, a trip to to The Music Circus or an unexpected visitor) and I live life wondering what's next.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0C7TCBGKK
• ISBN13: 9798840872505
• Release Date: June 2023
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 102 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"