<human>: Provide a brief overview of the text.

A little background: my wife and I were together for 7 years and married for 5.  We have a 3 year old together.  Today will be the first day that my wife will be living apart from the both of us as part of a trial separation we both agreed to.  
  
We've tried counseling but my wife was adamant that a trial separation would be best.  Her reasons?  At this point in time we are better friends than we are partners.  She claims that she's felt unhappy from around the third trimester of her pregnancy (she was a higher-risk pregnancy so intimacy was really limited.)  Long story short, our physical contact/intimacy died off early on and then the resentment set in.
  
So today is the first day that she's finally moved out of the house.  I will be looking after our daughter because I have a stable work schedule over my wife, who usually works either overnights or from 2PM to 11PM.  
  
What's really been a mind fuck with me these past couple of weeks is that I've been on a roller coaster of emotions.  Some days I feel chipper/happy/on top of the world.  Other days I am overcome with dread at the thought that I will no longer have my wife to take our daughter off my hands when she becomes too overwhelming for me.  And still other days I can't help but think how this separation/divorce will affect our daughter.  See, the both of us come from families that have divorced and so we've never really had both parental figures in our lives. 
  
So what this all boils down to is: is this mind fuck that I'm going through normal?  
We've also set some ground rules for this separation and we've agreed that we are allowed to see other people.  I'd be lying if I said that I don't get giddy at the thought of dating again but I fear that anyone I date may end up being a rebound girl and that I should maybe take some time off.
<bot>: My wife and I separated today and I've been on a motherfuckin roller coaster of emotions.  Is this normal?  Also, would redditors recommend for or against seeing other people at this time?