I am turning "50" this month. I find myself being somewhere between the past and the future.
New roles to embrace and new paths to explore, on the one hand, and readjusting to changes in the wonderful family bonds that have been created over so many years.
Letting go of the familiar and venturing into the unknown can be both sad and scary, It is not the Mid Life Crisis our mothers experienced. It is a new and challenging one for women today. I am not even sure I would call it a "crisis." How would you define it?
For me, I believe in the power of change to help us define and redefine all that we most value and strive for.
I will embrace this journey with all of my heart and soul because it is uniquely mine. WILL YOU?
Look at it as an invitation, not a commandment.
We invite responses from our readers to learn more about what turning middle age means to you.
INSPIRATION AND FOOD FOR THOUGHT
WHOSE SHOES?
Take a minute and think of the amazing number of shoes one wears in a lifetime. Whether you are six, twenty-six or eighty-six, our experience with shoes is the perfect metaphor for life.
There are those shoes that you are forced to wear due to circumstances. I would put dress shoes in that category. Those are the ones that look good and fit for the event but are not usually comfortable. Typically, by the end of the occasion, you are dying to take them off and they inevitably leave their mark (typically in the form of a blister or calf pain) but have served a purpose. We do it again and again for the “bigger picture” while enduring the repeated consequences.
These shoes are analogous to the many roles we play and tasks that are part of our “must do” list. They serve a purpose despite the inconveniences that come with the job.
Shoes with a purpose such as soccer or ballet shoes help define you. They are apart of our imagination and creative self (analogous to childhood “dress up”). These shoes are special because they represent something you love and hold dear in your heart. Even though you must change sizes over time, they are all the same – a symbol of who you are and what you dream to be (unless you are forced to do it, in which case, this falls into a different category).
New Shoes are an interesting category. We hope, from the few short minutes trying them on in the store, that they will be comfortable from the start. Probably less often than one would expect, this is the case. Typically, it is more a process which requires “breaking them in.” Like in life, you continue to work on this but must be committed to seeing it through. In many cases, these become your “favorites” and you never imagine not wearing them. However, with time, you outgrow them and must move on to a new pair of shoes and begin the process again. These “new shoes” represent our growth and change over time.
Old shoes can be more complicated. If you have had them for a long time and are endeared to them, giving them up (actually throwing them away) can feel like a loss.
There are times when we are forced to separate from the things we love in life and must grieve on some level to be able to move on. Alternatively, we may box these shoes in the back of our closet, never to be worn again but somehow holding on to them (and the memories they represent).
So, whose shoes are you wearing today? Is the fit right or should you throw them away?
How do you choose?
At least, take them off and wiggle your toes in the sand.
Give yourself permission to try on a new brand.
