This is from an interview in last Saturday's Los Angeles Times with Laura Wasser, Maria Shriver's attorney:
Is there any such thing as an ideal divorce?
Ideal? There are plenty of divorces where people come in and say, "We love each other and care about each other but we're not happy together anymore. There's no mystery to this; it's not rocket science. "We've got X amount of money and these properties and here are our kids and here's what we've worked out. Can you write this up for us?" Absolutely. That's the way to do it. You spend far less money, your children understand that you each love them and it's totally doable.
Well.
That would have smelled like roses, or a field of lavender, or bread baking, or a snifter of something smooth and old and tasty.
Ms. Wasser's advice is shatteringly good. I hope she walks her talk. If you are at the beginning of a divorce (even if the love part mentioned above is not exactly true for you,) aim for working it out while the situation is fresh. Tell your soon-to-be-ex that the money you both save can buy you new cars, or a little vacation place somewhere.
