Mid-life Crisis

Blogging is a bit of a tight-rope experience for me. I teeter when sharing too much and attempt to right myself by focusing on the finish line.

I’m not keen on sharing personal info in this forum, but understand that when the writing is more personal- it resonates with people.

So, here goes…I’m going through a mid-life crisis. I wasn’t sure of the source of my discontent for a couple of months, but it’s been realized. The “experts” say such a crisis can be experienced anywhere between 35-65 and swings into a person like a wrecking ball. I’ve been struck.

Trying to trace back to the origin of this change, I find myself sharing a dinner with my family on my son’s 18th birthday. My son is normally a confident, funny and upbeat kid, but for a few days before, during and after his birthday- he was bummed. So much so, that I kept an eye on him pretty closely, the change being so abrupt.

We had some great conversations. He was upset because he didn’t know what he wanted to do with the rest of his life…he felt directionless…unmotivated and unsure. It was like I took the baton and ran with it.

Every time he’d say something, I’d think to myself “me too.”

The problem I’m finding with a mid-life crisis is that you’re not sure what you want, you just know that most of what you’re doing or have is not it.

The bad thing about this crisis is that there is no way to tell what will come of it. The good thing is that I’ve never understood my son more.

And, it’s not about being afraid of aging. The course of life doesn’t scare me. It’s more about making the right choices as I age. Now that’s terrifying.

“Change is inevitable…progress is optional.”