Wow, sputnick, I cannot tell you how many posts i've read that are exactly like yours and as a 44 yr old male in the exact same situation, I can relate. It amazes me how many men are going through the same thing and so many people "label" us as going through a mid-life crisis.
I have been married 21 yrs also and have 3 kids 16, 14, 11. All great kids. My wife is an awesome mother. We have no intimacy and have not for nearly our entire marriage. Why did I stay so long everyone including her asks? I've always denied my needs and thought that was how it was supposed to be. I finally gave up trying. Emotionally i've been divorced for years. We are basically good friends and roomates at this point.
Well, (yeah here it comes) 7 months ago I met a great person and we hit it off (not a young bimbo). She has been trying to distance herself because she does not want to break up the marriage but we are good friends and have not even kissed. We do feel strongly about each other. I was not looking and just happened to connect with her. My wife found out a few weeks ago that we were talking and the ow and I have talked little since.
I have been struggling with trying to decide to leave. We have gone to counseling but because i've experienced so many years of rejection (cannot get out of her why), I feel like there is nothing left. I do not want to hurt the kids but feel I am only here because of them. My wife is also begging for another chance but can someone change who they are? Of course it took me saying I wanted to leave to make her want to change. I've been trying to tell her for years that I was not happy but I guess not clearly enough.
I have no idea if I leave if the ow will stil be "available" and she has not led me to believe she will be. I do not know what to do. I feel like I have no energy left to make the marriage work. Yet everyone thinks i've flipped my lid and am having a "mid-life crisis". Maybe I am but unless someone is willing to walk in my shoes they should not judge.
I'm going to see a counselor on my own to see if I can sort these feelings out.