Good Wednesday Morning! I hope you woke up with a positive, can-do attitude and a healthy breakfast, or at least a good cup of coffee!
I thought today, since it’s just the second post, that I would explain why I chose to call this journey The Middle of Life.
There are some logical reasons and some logistical ones. First, the story of my life was taken, as were several variations of that, so it was time to get creative. Then I thought about where I am.
I’m one of those people, of whom I’m sure there are millions, who is caught between helping to care for my grandchildren (for some, children) and my parents. I’m in the middle.
At sixty, some would argue that I’m past the middle of my life, but I would point out to them that my great-grandmother lived to the ripe old age of 103, so I consider myself nearing the end of the middle of my life. I refuse to say I’m in my senior years, even though passing sixty gets me into places cheaper.
I think these are my best years for several reasons.
First, I’m not under the day-to-day stress of single motherhood. While I delighted in raising my kids, I won’t deny that doing it as a single parent was no small task. If you’re doing so now, male or female, my hat goes off to you. I didn’t have to deal with Tik Tok or other forms of social media with my older two and mostly Facebook with the younger two.
I also didn’t have to deal with kids with cell phones, although I firmly believe kids should have them today.
When my two youngest girls were in the 10th and 8th grades, my son was in a car accident that sent him to the hospital. One child was at the high school to stay and watch a volleyball game. The other had a lacrosse game at the middle school. It made the task of gathering them up easier for my parents, who took over so I could go to the hospital with my son. From then on, I’ve been an advocate for cells for kids.
Another reason that these are my best years is because I’ve found my confidence, improved my self-esteem, and have a much more positive outlook on life than I did when I was younger.
A third reason would be that I’ve made my passion my work. I love art and now, my job every day allows me to do something creative. I also have been writing, which is something I never thought I would do. In the last ten years, I’ve ghost-written probably ten books, as well as dozens of blog articles. I enjoy it every day.
The fourth reason is that I now get to enjoy my family. They all live close and I get to see them often. I get to go to soccer games, softball games, baseball games, and who knows what else will come up. I see as much as I can.
And the last reason is that I live in a wonderful place. Our condo is less than a half-mile from the downtown of our vibrant suburb, which always has something or another going on. There are loads of shops across three city blocks and a great walking trail.
If you can’t find anything do to close to home, Columbus always has something going on. With the winning college football team of my alma mater, a professional soccer and hockey team, tons of festivals and fairs, not to mention the city itself, there’s always something to do here.
So the middle of life here is good. Sure, there are days that frustrate the dickens out of me, and you’ll read about those if you stick around, but today, the outlook is good.
I hope you have a beautiful Wednesday! Share with me in the comments below where you are in your life journey.