Divorce Day

By: Jerry Banfield

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Divorce Day is the sixth book in my Daily Autobiography series, and it takes you directly into the month and a half leading up to the end of my thirteen-year marriage. The story begins in early November 2025 as I enter my second month living alone, trying to understand what my life looks like now that the relationship defining most of my adult life is ending. I’m rebuilding everything at once—my work, my business, my routines, and my identity—while navigating the strange mix of freedom and loneliness that comes with suddenly being single again.

During this time I’m also learning how to be a single dad living on my own. I’m figuring out how to balance time with my kids, time alone, and time rebuilding my life. I’m trying to decide where I should live, how close I need to be to my children, and what kind of home makes sense after leaving a long marriage. If you’ve ever had to move out of a shared home and start over in your own place, you’ll probably recognize many of the thoughts and emotions that show up in these pages.

Dating again becomes another major theme in the story. After more than a decade of marriage, stepping back into the dating world feels awkward, exciting, confusing, and sometimes ridiculous. You’ll see me attend my first speed dating events, experiment with installing and deleting dating apps, and wrestle with the question of how a man in his forties is supposed to meet women again. Anyone who has faced the strange reality of dating after divorce will likely see parts of their own experience reflected here.

At the same time, everyday life continues moving forward. I go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, play tennis at the Racquet Club, attend kirtan and meditation events in St. Petersburg, plan events for my business, and even publish a book in a single day. Some days feel hopeful and full of possibility. Other days feel uncertain and emotionally heavy. In the middle of the book the pressure builds to the point where I reach the lowest emotional moment of the entire separation process. The uncertainty about my future, my relationships, and my purpose pushes me into what I can only describe as a real dark night of the soul.

Those entries capture what it feels like when you truly don’t know how your life is going to move forward. Anyone who has gone through divorce, separation, or a major life reset will likely recognize that feeling. In many ways the story unfolds like a hero’s journey, except nothing here is fictional. These entries were written day by day as everything was happening.

What makes the story meaningful is what happens next. You’ll see the people who show up for me, the unexpected conversations that help shift my perspective, and the gradual changes that begin pulling me out of that dark place. The suffering and confusion slowly turn into connection with others and deeper honesty with myself. Looking back, this short stretch of time became one of the most transformative periods of my life.

The Daily Autobiography series is intentionally written with minimal editing so the story remains as close as possible to real life. Some entries are calm and reflective, while others wander through long tangents influenced by stand-up comedy and whatever thoughts were running through my mind that day. Reading this book often feels less like a traditional memoir and more like stepping inside someone’s mind during one of the most chaotic and revealing seasons of their life.

If you’re a parent starting over after a breakup, someone trying to figure out where to live after leaving a relationship, or someone stepping back into the dating world after years away, there’s a good chance parts of this story will feel familiar. Even if you haven’t experienced divorce yourself, you may recognize the deeper theme that runs through these pages: what it looks like to rebuild your life when a chapter you thought would last forever finally ends.