Decades travel at the speed of a “don’t blink, you’ll miss it” kind of rush. When we were teens or young adults with all of our self-preoccupations, we never dreamed we would ever see the time when we faced a season called “midlife.” But, sure enough, every single one of us arrives blinking our eyes in surprise and suspense! What exactly will happen to us now? We stare at the mirror wondering if it’s too late to do anything that will make a difference. Our young ones are jumping out of the nest anxious to find their way. And we are left all at once with glee, sadness, and terror at the thought of a vacant house. Of course, when we finally start painting our lives golden, our minds play tricks on us and we still think we are twenty years younger than reality!
Every season of our lives has its pros and cons “for such a time as this.” In our exciting college years, life happened all at once. Joyfully or not, we separated from our parents and envisioned a lifetime of great success, and the “I can’t live without you” type of perfect relationship along with happily doing things our way. Sound familiar?
Between our 30s and 40s, life started revealing its true nature. Things were different than we originally imagined; the sharp edges grayed a bit in the fog of reality. Still, life was “do-able” as we revised our plans, sometimes more than once. Energies slowed a bit, then took off again like a stuttering car, as we discovered new goals to fit our lifestyles. We learned the eye-opening difference between “Me, Me, Me” and “We, We, We.” Life was good as long as we were willing to open our hearts and minds to the world.
Midlife comes onto the scene with a vengeance! For some, it’s a shock to turn around and discover a new landscape--an entirely new life we just can’t ignore. Now we remember all those dreams and decisions we intended to tackle thirty years before interruptions, distractions, and life generally took over. So, do we just throw up our hands and give up? No, not ever! We have all the time, talent, and wisdom to share with others now. Wasting those would be a violation of nature and our well-being. Now is the best opportunity to start making new plans, as life does not wait on any of us, as we already recognize.
The good news is we can look around with eyes wide open and see new possibilities we never knew we had. Currently [2025], 126 million people in the U. S. are over age fifty and growing (IBISworld.com), and the U.S. Census states 25 million live alone, and 55 percent are single-again women. We are not alone by any means! If we truly want to do something with the next fifty years (yes, more and more people are reaching the centennial mark and beyond), we must be willing to get out of the house and meet others in our “tribe.”
Thinking about it, we can see our experiences, good and not so good, piled one on top of the other like a house made of brick for our entire lives. There is a purpose in that phenomenon. Our lifework built for us an entire “library” of useful and teachable events. We most certainly can not go back in history and redo our lives. But, we can make today count and go forward, calling on our learning episodes and making things new and different. We could try out these four ideas :
- Lifelong Learning - always beneficial and fun, we can choose something we’ve wanted to learn or participate in doing. Local colleges provide a regular schedule of one-time classes.
- Travel Groups - how many of the U. S. states have we visited? How about that foreign country calling our name? Day trips are also a great way to see sites and meet others without a big commitment.
- Community Events - right in our hometown, there are plenty of occasions to use our skills, learn new ones, or volunteer and make our neighborhood better.
- Church Groups - just ask because the church can always use extra help. We will feel useful and needed for sure.
Tip of the Day
No matter our circumstances and lifestyle, there is a way to make a difference in our golden days. God provides what we need, when we need it, if we just ask. He doesn’t force Himself on us, but is always ready to help and will never, ever leave us! Just having the determination to do something with our lives that is worthwhile and beneficial is Step Two. Step One is placing our faith in the One True God. We can do that, can’t we?
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV).
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