This year is my midpoint year.

Roughly 6 years ago, I discovered my ex-wife having an affair. I yelled at her, which in Minnesota is considered domestic abuse, and lost custody of our kids. I made a video about it here - https://youtu.be/b8h3TkQJ3nQ .

Our kids spend roughly half the time at home with me and absolutely hate their mother. I haven't said anything, they are getting older and figuring out things on their own (e.g. mom's partner rotations).

Anyways, the point of this post is to give encouragement to other men going through and trying to survive a divorce.

It does get better.

I went through all the common mistakes, including trying to date too early after a divorce. Lots of hurt in the world. I thought a divorce and being a dad put me in a negative light. Nope.

I have a lot of positive quantities. Homeowner, kind, stable employment, and loads of patience. Yeah, there are a lot of potential partners that refuse to even talk to dads. "Where's mom?" is a common thought for potential partners. Just hold your cards and wait. There are good partners out there.

I did find a good potential partner. She is amazing. We have seen each other for about 2 years now and I think it might be the year to introduce her to my kids. I don't know.

She doesn't want kids, but she wants to know my kids. I do know that in 6 years, I want her to be in my life. She would be a good partner to ride out my last 40 years or so.

TLDR - be kind to others and yourself. Bad things happen, but this is temporary. Midpoints are a good time to reflect on growth and goals.