You Can't Go Home Again ....

It's The Same Story, Same Ending For Mark Sanford ....

Except for the facts that his lover was from Argentina, and that they were Governor and First Lady of South Carolina, the story of Mark and Jenny Sanford reads a lot like any couple dealing with infidelity: a powerful husband, on the road lot, nearing that age where your best days are likely behind you. A wife whose focus is on raising a family. Man meets younger woman, man forgets he's married, man cheats on wife. Wife is embarrassed, angry, sad - all the emotions. Woman has to decide what to do.

Unofficially, I would say that most women do not leave a husband who cheats on them, for various reasons. Finances, for the sake of the kids, saving public face. But, I think the most important factor, and probably why Jenny Sanford has decided to divorce the Governor, is the nature of the affair. And usually, it's the same reason for a lot of women.

Take Tiger Woods for example. While he's had his share of dalliances exposed this month, none of them seem to be very serious - with the possible exception of the 'Serious.....Huge' Girl. Women often will forgive a man who loses his mind temporarily on a company trip to Vegas. But, Mark Sanford didn't seem very contrite when the news of his affair first broke. Like some guys, he seemed unable to really make up his mind, and when that happens, a guy's whole world falls to shit - fast.

Jenny Sanford took her time to reason things out, but my guess is that knowing that he was with her for over a year - and that it would still be going on if he wasn't caught in all likelihood - was too much for her to get over. Eventually, Mark figured out that he had lost his mind, and he tried to get his family back. I've seen this story first hand, and it isn't pretty. But, the aftermath of cheating for a married guy is usually either of two things: he gets divorced, and is miserable, or he stays married, and is miserable with a wife who never trusts him again. Notice a similarity with the endings?

I suppose THAT is my advice for guys today........ Don't cheat, and definitely don't think you're in love with your mistress, because that ends eventually. If you're unhappy in a marriage, just get divorced and end on decent terms, rather than trying to keep the whole lie tied together with spit and twine....

.