bonus

Dating In My Forties

This is a bonus episode, y'all! I wrote an article over at Medium and was encouraged to narrate it as well. Of course, that meant I had to share with all of you. I'll tease the content here but for the full transcript, visit www.medium.com/@ericPayne

TRANSCRIPT:

Dating In My Forties, by Eric Payne

By the time you read this, I will be nearing my fiftieth year on this planet though most mistake me for an old thirty-five or a young thirty-eight. When making conversation with strangers in public places such as gas stations, grocery stores, and parks, I’m struck when people either my age or younger occasionally address me as “young man.” I make no effort to correct them. Instead, I appreciate that life has been kind to my appearance, everything considered. I have two children — a twenty-six-year-old son and a fifteen-year-old daughter who is wise beyond her years, as most teenage girls are. On paper, I have joint custody of the youngest with their mother. But honestly, it’s often hard to think of myself as anything other than a single father. I’m the only adult in my house. When my life as Dad challenges and stretches me, no one is there to guide me with that needed woman’s touch — to let me know I’ve said too little or too much or am applying too much pressure or not enough. Of course, my ex-wife is only a phone call away, but in these moments, there is no teammate present to step in to catch my fumble, run the ball for me when I’m headed straight into interference, or tell me to take a seat so she can do her thing. At least, that is what I believe should happen in the moments when I’m out of ideas and patience...

Read the full article/transcript here with your exclusive Patron of the Dating After Divorce Survival Guide Link!

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Much Love,

E

About the Podcast

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The Dating After Divorce Survival Guide
The Dating After Divorce Survival Guide is a serial podcast that thoughtfully and hilariously narrates the journey of fatherhood blogger Eric Payne as he navigates the challenges of "starting over" after divorce.

About your host

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Eric Payne

I got divorced in 2015. Afterward, I wandered around a lost, emotional mess. Men have feelings too! I created The Dating After Divorce Survival Guide to provide a path to emotional well-being that I never received and to tell the truth — men are just as scared as women (maybe more) when it comes to rejection and failing at love. But like me, if you're willing to dig deep, work hard on yourself, and not play the blame game you can turn divorce into a springboard to discover yourself, discover joy, and maybe find love again or maybe for the first time.

I'm Chicago-born, New York City-bred, and currently residing in Atlanta. A marketing and advertising guy most of my adult life, a writer since the second grade, and a storyteller since before even then, I've published two books of poetry, a parenting book, and the groundbreaking fatherhood and marriage blog, MakesMeWannaHoller.com. I have no problem laughing at myself and sharing the lessons my failures have taught me. I believe in superheroes, practice gratitude every chance I get and annoy my kids by being a super-loving father.