Went through divorce and had to figure out who I was as a single dad

When the marriage ended I had this moment where I realized I'd built my entire identity around being a husband and a dad in this package deal. Suddenly I was just a single guy trying to figure out how to parent alone and I didn't know who I was outside of that relationship. First few years were rough. But it forced me to actually figure out what I like, what I believe in, what matters to me beyond what someone else needed from me. I'm not saying divorce is good, it was awful, but it did crack me open in a way I needed. I'm a better dad now because I'm actually a whole person. I miss the fantasy of what I thought family was supposed to be, but the real stuff now is better.