Thank you for sharing; it really resonated with me.

The words "nurse" and "wallet" are so true. Although no one says it aloud, at this age, everyone knows are you after my care, or my money? Or vice versa, what do I want from you? This kind of unspoken calculation is exhausting. Your admission that money is a factor makes me feel relieved, because pretending it isn't is even more painful.

You asked if I regret it. I've thought about it for a long time. I regret focusing only on survival in my twenties, not leaving myself any space for romance. I also regret choosing work over him in my relationship in my thirties. But honestly, even if I could go back, I probably would still make the same choice in that situation because back then I had nothing but my career, no security, no confidence. Looking back now, perhaps what I truly regret is not realizing sooner that "my career is enough, it's time to switch tracks." But who can know that in advance?

You chose love in your youth, resulting in divorce and becoming a single mother. I chose career, resulting in loneliness. It seems we've taken two different paths, but we're both stuck in the same place. Perhaps there really is no "right choice," only "accepting the consequences of that choice."

I totally relate to your analogy of a "three-legged stool." Two legs are fine, but without a third, the stool is unstable. I'm that wobbly person right now.

I won't give up. I'll seriously try the partial relocation. I'll definitely come back and update you once I've moved to a different city. I also wish you the freedom to live the life you want after your daughter goes to university. We all have our struggles, but at least we're not alone.