Bureaucracy moves slow. And life. And both are strange.

We decided it was time to give up and get divorced sometime last summer. Nearly a year ago now. Then it took a while to find a suitable apartment that’s close enough. So we submitted the paperwork sometime in October 2022.

Then, since we have small kids, and hadn’t lived apart previously, there’s a mandatory 6-month waiting period. Probably a good thing, but feels a bit unnecessary, since it wasn’t really an impulsive decision.

That period ended a little while ago, and neither of us had changed our minds. (Surprise!) So, final paperwork to send in. But those had to be sent in on paper. Digital application, regular paper for confirmation. Makes perfect sense. And they also need a copy of another paper, from another government office attached, which has to be recent, and you only get that on paper as well. So, ordered one of those for each of us, and waited for that to be delivered in the regular mail. Like animals.

Then those papers had to be put in another envelope together with some signatures, and everything sent off. Why the two government offices couldn’t just talk to each other and get the paperwork they needed without involving us remains a mystery. Or just accept it digitally, saving a lot of hassle. Could even be signed a bit more securely than scratches on paper.

And then it was mailed in. Probably. If I understood all the instructions.

Haven’t gotten the final confirmation yet. Might be a bit of a wait before I hear anything. But after that, everything is done. And I’m officially divorced. End of an era. I’m alone again, both on paper and in reality. Been a long time since last time.

Feels weird.

And like giving up. Admitting defeat.

Like I couldn’t even do this simple thing right.

Guess I can remove the “part-time farmer” bit from my profile now, since I won’t be doing much of that anymore.

Not really super-settled into the apartment, even though I’ve lived here half a year now. Feels a bit temporary, but no idea where I would go next.

No gods plans, no masters.

Life is a silly story without meaning or direction.