I had to write a paper about "The Essence of Tae Kwon Do" for my 3rd degree black belt test. So I decided to write it in the form of a fictional story. I am not a writer, so it is not a very good story. But this is it.

Chapter 1: The First Day

The envelope was addressed to Miss Natalie Quinn. It was my divorce papers, I knew right away. This was the first piece of mail I had received in four years addressed with my maiden name. My dad would be happy I was taking back his surname. He hadn't liked John much, although he hadn't really said it in so many words. All he wanted was my happiness, and I guess his experiences told him that marrying John would not bring that. Of course, I had to learn that on my own.

In my infinite wisdom, at the age of 18; I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with John – my high school sweetheart. An unexpected, but failed, pregnancy had actually brought us closer. But then there was the arguing. The constant fighting about everything…and nothing. I finally decided I just couldn't take it anymore.

But that was the past. Today, I was putting it all behind me. If I could not have children, then I did not want them. If I couldn't have a happy marriage, then I did not need a husband. This was the first day of the rest of my life, and I would move forward. A single tear rolled down my cheek as I thought of the prospect of my new life. This was not tear shed from anger or hurt. Neither was it a tear of longing and of missing the one person that I had ever loved romantically - those had come months ago and hours at a time.

This tear was the result of a year alone. Here I was in a town where I knew few people. I had just gotten my bachelor's degree, and started a new job. Sure, I had acquaintances from college; but I wouldn't consider any of them friends. I had spent most of my free time with John, after all. My new co-workers were friendly enough, but it isn't easy for me to barge into a group of strangers and turn them into friends. And that's what I felt like I would be doing – intruding on already existing circles to find my place. So, in the year I had been separated from John, I hadn't made many new friends. Once in a while I would go out for a drink after work, or my sister would come into town to visit. But essentially, my life consisted of going to work, graduate classes, and watching a lot of "Sex and the City" episodes on HBO.

So, here I was – a pathetic, friendless divorcee. A spinster at the age of 22. I might as well go to the animal shelter and adopt 15 cats. And now that I thought about it, I had gained a few pounds since I started my office job. Wait a minute! I may be a pathetic, friendless, 22-year-old divorcee; but I was not going to let myself become a fat, pathetic, friendless, 22 year-old divorcee. No, this was the first day of the rest of my life. Today, I would join a gym!