In the Chinese language, the character for crisis is defined by two words: danger and opportunity. Well, I am in the midst of a mid-life crisis and all I can say is “look out!” For all of us forty somethings, it's the time in life when we reevaluate the road we're on and decide if we want to continue on that known, smooth path or ditch the minivan and hop in an F-250 to go off-road traveling.
I opted for the truck a few months ago and have not looked back.
There are many reasons for it. Yes, time and that sneaking suspicion that I might be mortal has been the primary contributor. But, there are others. I am older and wiser and more comfortable making the big decisions that will make me happy. My caregiver role—a role that will always be a part of who I am—is diminishing. And, I don’t want to live with any regrets. I lost my mother very unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm when she was just fifty-two and my younger sister from lymphoma when she was thirty-two and had just given birth to her first child. These losses had a profound effect on me, and after years of balancing career and family, I now find myself wondering how to manage this most precious commodity called “the rest of my life”.
So, even though I am off-road at the moment and the route is not decided, I can tell you what I will not be doing. I won’t be driving a corvette or having plastic surgery or buying Christian Louboutin shoes. No. I will spend my mid-life crisis laughing more, spending treasured moments with loved ones, writing, and trying out new and fun activities (maybe dancing or yoga?). I may even reenter the rat race at some point. Who knows?
I do know that whatever I do, I plan to live this all too short life to the fullest. So, all you other mid-lifers out there, go for it! Have fun! And, for the record? A laser facial is not considered plastic surgery. Just sayin’.
As Bette Davis once said, old age is no place for sissies.
~Valerie~
I opted for the truck a few months ago and have not looked back.
There are many reasons for it. Yes, time and that sneaking suspicion that I might be mortal has been the primary contributor. But, there are others. I am older and wiser and more comfortable making the big decisions that will make me happy. My caregiver role—a role that will always be a part of who I am—is diminishing. And, I don’t want to live with any regrets. I lost my mother very unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm when she was just fifty-two and my younger sister from lymphoma when she was thirty-two and had just given birth to her first child. These losses had a profound effect on me, and after years of balancing career and family, I now find myself wondering how to manage this most precious commodity called “the rest of my life”.
So, even though I am off-road at the moment and the route is not decided, I can tell you what I will not be doing. I won’t be driving a corvette or having plastic surgery or buying Christian Louboutin shoes. No. I will spend my mid-life crisis laughing more, spending treasured moments with loved ones, writing, and trying out new and fun activities (maybe dancing or yoga?). I may even reenter the rat race at some point. Who knows?
I do know that whatever I do, I plan to live this all too short life to the fullest. So, all you other mid-lifers out there, go for it! Have fun! And, for the record? A laser facial is not considered plastic surgery. Just sayin’.
As Bette Davis once said, old age is no place for sissies.
~Valerie~
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