I think the woman was right. He didn't want to leave his family but just go through all his life he has lived so far. If confronted, he probably would have had

I think the woman was right. He didn't want to leave his family but just go through all his life he has lived so far. If confronted, he probably would have had to leave. When a man needs to sort out his life, a wise woman gives him the space and doesn't freak out. Freaking out and scooping him for the answer would just drive him further away. Such a life-reset is the result of ignoring your own life for decades and you need to take the time, either in small doses over the years or mentally going away once in ten years for a longer time. When you're going through one, you can't take anything for granted, not your job, not your wife, not your family. You can't reset your idea of who you are now if you do it conditionally: if you don't dare to keep your options open, you can never see which of them you can safely close again.