A Year After My Life Fell Apart

Reflecting on a strange string of anniversaries and surviving them all

I’m Haley. Book midwife (editor), author, and single mom of four. Consider upgrading to a paid subscription to support my family and gain access to exclusive content:

I keep thinking that I’ll stop writing about the experiences in my personal life and get back to writing about books. But I’m not quite there yet.

One year ago I separated from my best friend of 23 years and husband of 18 years. I sat on the couch with my arms around my children and he walked to the front door with a suitcase. I saw him out of the corner of my eye adjust the strap of his backpack and look over his shoulder at the home we built together that he would never belong to again. And despite still being in shock over what I had discovered about him, my heart broke for him. Separating wasn’t what he wanted, but it was what he had chosen over and over again, year after year, decade after decade, through his actions. He just didn’t think I would ever find out.