Once upon a time in the sunny valley of Orange County, a strong-willed science professor named Olivia, after a long day of lectures, sat down for a drink at a bar tended to by a go-with-the-flow kind of dude named Chris. He thought she was way out of his league in looks, intelligence, and class, but they shared an undeniable attraction akin to magnets. She could talk all day about biology, and he could talk all day about beers. It was love at first sight. 

They had their ups and downs, but despite breaking up and dating other people separately, they would always find their way back to one another. Maybe it was the chemistry of oxytocin or the gravitational pull of physics. Whatever it was, the universe, with all of its unexplained phenomena, had decided that these two were logically—or perhaps, illogically—wired to be together. 

Together, they gave birth to a beautiful baby, a miracle that Olivia could not explain, even with her vast scientific knowledge of reproduction.

But as the years went on, Olivia found herself in the midst of yet another unexplainable biological change. Chris used to cause her pupils to dilate, her heart to race, and her cheeks to flush—all of the signals of affection between two lovers. And yet, that wasn’t happening anymore…

…at least not with Chris. 

She hadn’t lost her libido. It was that the passion she had lost for Chris could only now be found in someone else.

A woman. 

 “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

— A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

Olivia was a woman of logic and facts. She knew that leaving Chris would break his heart, but that staying with him would break hers. So rather than hide her lustful secret, she came clean. She came out of the closet. 

Instead of a lawyer, she turned to McNamee Mediations to settle the divorce fairly and amicably. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Chris. The skills of their mediator allowed them to close their chapter as soulmates as lovers, and open their chapter as soulmates as friends and co-parents. 

Olivia is my best friend and her best friend—after me, of course—was Chris. And thanks to their divorce mediator, they still are best friends.

In their newfound relationship as friends and former spouses, the mediator facilitated a discussion about their questions and concerns about the division of assets and custody, and more. 

I can’t say enough about how much I admire Olivia and Chris for the way they collaboratively separated. And from what I have heard about their mediator, many couples also have chances at a peaceful divorce but simply don’t know. Divorce is life-changing in so many ways, and not all of it has to be negative. 

Olivia and Chris are some of my favorite people in this world. They are happily in love with new partners, and I couldn’t be happier for each and all of them. The name of their divorce mediator is Colleen McNamee. If you are seeking divorce mediation, you can give McNamee Mediations a call today.

McNamee Mediations
4590 MacArthur Blvd Suite 500, Newport Beach, CA 92660

The narrator and lead protagonist, Carrie Bradshaw, meets many different types of men through her own dating adventures and other personal anecdotes from her 3 best friends: Charlotte York, Miranda Hobbes, and Samantha Jones.

Befitting his name, Carrie’s most tumultuous and enthralling relationship is a man named Mr. Big. Carrie describes him like she does New York City: larger than life. 

Carrie meets Big by bumping into him on a busy street—a classic New York City moment. She is instantly smitten by him, but it takes a few more unplanned encounters for them to decide to actually plan to meet for dinner.

And when they do, it turns out that Big has made their dinner something other than a date by inviting his uptight and recently divorced friend to join them. Carrie leaves money for the only thing she’s ordered, her drink, and tells Big to call her when he decides he is ready for a dinner with just the two of them .

As the show progresses, it becomes clear that their awkward first non-date was evidence of Big’s, well, biggest weakness: commitment.

He dates Carrie non-exclusively without telling her. He doesn’t introduce her at all, or as anyone more than a friend, to anyone in his life. He is reluctant to requite her declaration of love. She begs him to tell her that she’s the one, and of course, he doesn’t. 

They reunite, and after becoming comfortable enough with one another, Carrie becomes utterly convinced that she and Big have lost their spark for intimacy due to the fact that she unintentionally farted while they were snuggled in bed one morning. 

As it turns out, the fart wasn’t really the issue and that Big simply is not capable of being as emotionally available as Carrie wishes he would be.

Carrie and Big reconcile, only for Big to move to another continent without planning to continue their relationship. When Big returns to New York City, now engaged to a 20-something he met during his time abroad, he confides to Carrie that he is unhappy in his marriage and initiates an affair—one that is not his first. Big had already cheated on his first wife. Like many marriages that end up as divorces in Orange County, his first marriage ended due to his infidelity.

Unfortunately, it is all too common for people to try to escape their relationship issues through infidelity. Instead of saving the intimacy that has been lost with their partner, they seek that intimacy by cheating with someone else. 

The biggest and most common challenge is marriage is often communication. It’s easy to lose control and say something you don’t mean in the heat of the argument. Marriage Mediation helps couples who know that they want to try to save their marriage before ending it. An expert marriage mediator facilitates discussions between spouses to help them overcome the challenge of practical communication. If you and your spouse are ready to explore whether marital mediation or divorce mediation is right for your relationship, you can give McNamee Mediations a call today.

McNamee Mediations
4590 MacArthur Blvd Suite 500, Newport Beach, CA 92660