One thing I'll give my ex-husband - the man was right on, politically. That is to say, we agreed with each other on pretty much all political matters ... including the idea that we are both very much into politics.

In fact, during this election season it's one thing I've missed about our marriage - waking up each day, emailing, calling about the latest polls. Sure, every once in a while we would check in and say, "Can you believe who McCain picked for his VP?" or things of that nature. But for the most part, I had to chat up sometimes unwilling friends about my obsession with Barack Obama.

Last night, however, I was watching election results with friends - my kids were with their dad. And when Barack Obama was named president-elect, my phone rang immediately: It was my ex.

"Can you believe it?" I said, without even a hello. He could not believe it. We both basked in the moment together. The kids were shouting for Obama in the background.

When I hung up, my friends rolled their eyes at the idea that I would share a nice moment with my ex.

"Honey, if you can get along politically, you might want to re-think your divorce," said one friend.

I don't think so. We are meant to...

I love the entertaining bits you find when Googling for ideas on a blog about divorce. For instance, I got a good laugh out of this article. I mean, just the headline alone - "Sex with prostitutes or dates?" - is a great set-up. Especially when preceded by the word "insight."

The article quickly delves into treating women as a fiscal liability - how much is it gonna cost ya to get one? Well, according to this article, dating a woman might be more expensive in the long run because it could lead to divorce.

Let me tell you something: If you are reading this article and really wondering if you should date or just buy a prostitute, if you do date I can almost guarantee you that, should you get married (important step), you WILL get a divorce.

Then the third paragraph starts with this line: "The second argument is that sex with a prostitute is morally superior because ..."

I'm sorry, what? Sex with a prostitute is, in any way, "morally superior" to dating?

I don't know what the article said after that. But maybe you should check it out and see. In fact, maybe I'm out of the loop. My ex and I are dating other people now. Perhaps I should ask him, "Sex with prostitutes or dates?"

At least to see the shocked look on his face ...

Seems to be the time for celebrity divorces. No sooner had I stopped shedding a tear for poor Bill Murray that Madonna and Guy Ritchie have announced they're splitting too.

But it seems their divorce is getting a bit more analysis in the gossip rags and elsewhere. The Chicago Tribune, in fact, pointed out how the divorce followed the PR ploys of other troubled relationships - the couple and their publicists denying any and all trouble until, in fact, they were divorcing.

But isn't this less a sign of celebrity handling of split-ups and more just human nature? I mean, when my ex and I were first having major trouble, do you think I wanted to share it with anyone, my mother (especially) included? Of course not. I eventually divulged details to close friends and sought advice. But really, media, do you think Madonna and Guy Ritchie are going to seek public input when they're having a tough time?

That's the other thing - when you are going through a "tough time" with your significant other, even if you are destined for divorce you still convince yourself that it's just a "tough time" you're going through. Therefore, you don't need to...

I've always loved Bill Murray as an actor. And one of the reasons is how he acts when he's NOT acting. Anyone from Chicago loves the moments when he joins sportscasters in the booth at Cubs games and shares what's going on in his life (or just hams it up).

Now, the poor dear is promoting his new movie, and he's talking about his recent divorce. Sounds like he's pretty upset still. Sounds like she really pulled the rug out from under him! At least with my ex and I, we both agreed it was time.

Sometimes, people get upset with celebrities for sharing their political views or spouting off at the mouth. I'm really happy Bill opened up in this way - it shows that even people who have fame and fortune can have troubles and really feel down .... and most important, come out of it having learned something.

We can all learn from that!

I love my ex-husband; I really do. And I am so glad we're friends and can still be a (distant) part of each other's lives.

But even with these nearly ideal divorce dealings, it's still very stressful - to see that your life, the life you wanted, has completely fallen apart can lead to anxiety, depression and anger. Which is why I was surfing the Internet recently, Googling the phrase "dealing with divorce."

I came across these simple tips for dealing with divorce stress - and I have printed them out and taped them to my refrigerator. There is nothing groundbreaking here, but it all makes perfect sense. I have been super-stressed lately, and perhaps not coincidentally I have:

- failed to visit with my talk therapist in recent weeks

- failed to exercise much

- failed to do many "fun only" activities for myself

Result? Stress. Sometimes you just have to remind yourself to take care.

You know, I know it might sound silly, but my ex and I try to be proactive in finding other divorced couples that we really admire. And for some reason, if they are in the public eye, their behavior carries more weight. Which is why we both agree that Bruce Willis and Demi Moore are simply amazing in the way they have created a family life together in the wake of their divorce.

We are not alone in thinking this, of course. Look, they just won an award!

In some ways, I think they are just weird - I mean, he lives too close to her, in my opinion. I don't want my ex in my business that much, especially if I'm going to be dating Ashton Kutcher.

But for the kids? It's great! And the kids are most important. Divorced couples with kids really need to realize that it's not what they want that should come first - it's what their kids want.

To all divorced parents - we are constantly faced with divorces gone WRONG, and divorced parents treating their kids poorly. Take a moment to look around, with your ex, and find other ex-couples that you admire, and what you admire about them. If you couldn't agree to stay together, perhaps you can agree to be friends apart. And your kids will benefit!

Richard and I were lucky enough (if you want to call it that) to divorce for reasons other than the other was cheating. This was hard enough. But, having been through such trying circumstances in my own marriage and divorce, I'm darkly fascinated by the struggles of others.

This article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sure did hit a spot with readers. Check out all the comments below, including the first one by "sounds like me." All I can say is to this person is, honey, there is a support network out there for you. Just keep looking!

Check out these divorce stats. Granted, they're from across the pond and don't reflect the American divorce experience. But I have to admit, I love reading about other people's - if not misery, then their divorce.

Why, you ask? Well, you can see that you're not alone, for instance. Here are some of the things I draw from this article:

- Just how average I am. After 12 years of marriage, Richard and I divorced. Well, "The average duration of marriages that ended in divorce increased slightly to 11.7 years, from 11.6 years in 2006."

- But look! At 38, I'm a YOUNG divorcee, which always makes a woman feel good: The average age of divorcees also rose. For women it increased from 40.9 years in 2006 to 41.2 years in 2007.

- The rate of divorce was more than twice as high for men and women aged 25 to 29 — the group with the highest divorce rate overall. Well, that just goes to show you that you shouldn't marry young. Wonder how long, on average, people in that group were actually married?

At least less Brits are getting divorced.