Mid-life sucks!

[Greg44]

I just writing in my journal today that I think mid-life sucks. More aches and pains, regrets over some career, finance, schooling, choices etc. Thinking it is too late to do something else, yada yada yada. Sort of a self pitty party. Coupled with our gloomy gray rainy spring we are having, the down ecomony...boy am I ever ready for some sunshine and warm weather.

THEN what is waiting for me in the mail box? Mail from the AARP - "card enclosed" Please do not bend AND another piece of mail on making my "final arrangements".

Now go make it a great day!

[kally]

Well I agree, except the alternative is SO much worse. I just wish my eyelid skin snapped back the way it used to.

[HappyHiker]

I just writing in my journal today that I think mid-life sucks. More aches and pains, regrets over some career, finance, schooling, choices etc. Thinking it is too late to do something else, yada yada yada. Sort of a self pitty party. Coupled with our gloomy gray rainy spring we are having, the down ecomony...boy am I ever ready for some sunshine and warm weather.

THEN what is waiting for me in the mail box? Mail from the AARP - "card enclosed" Please do not bend AND another piece of mail on making my "final arrangements".

Now go make it a great day!

Well yes, there are those things about mid-life that suck, no argument from me, just came down with a bum knee and I'm not happy about that...but that's the glass half-empty. What's the glass half-full look like? Friends, enough food to eat, roof over head, hobbies, laughter, books to read, a car to drive or a bike to pedal, interesting work, whether paid or volunteer to do?

When I'm feeling down, sometimes I put on a lively CD and dance around my kitchen and make ridiculous dance moves and that perks me up...

[Greg44]

When I'm feeling down, sometimes I put on a lively CD and dance around my kitchen and make ridiculous dance moves and that perks me up...

As I read this I envisioned Elaine from Seinfeld and the "dance" she made famous! Now that would perk up anyone!

Oh, I have many things to be thankful for and have made many good choices. Great family, dw, etc. But life has been more challenging since hitting the big 5-0. No other milestone ever bugged me. For some reason - 50 made a difference. I just need to "find my grove" for the second half of my life! Seaching for that thing...
don't need a sports car, new dw, gold neck chains, etc. But something is calling me and not sure what that is...

[Madsen]

mid life?

Consider it quarter-life instead!!

[junco]

Hey, Greg.

Maybe the new groove will hit you over the head. That's sort of what happened to me. Last fall, at 52, a new job sort of fell in my lap. I love it, it's meaningful, and now I'm even taking a class in that area. Life seems full of possibility again, but at 53 I also know to fully value each day. It's not a bad combination. As far as past mistakes, we all have them and are the wiser for them. Focus on that and don't regret what cannot be changed.

[loosechickens]

HAH!!!!! Just wait until the big ole number SEVENTY is heading your way like a freight train, and believe me, FIFTY will look like the long ago, promised land, hahahahaha.......

AND, you can't even call it mid-life anymore (WAAAAHHHH), because as my much younger sweetie is prone to tell me......"yeah, you're middle-aged.......middle-aged of a 140 year lifespan, hehehehehe". He's still recovering from 60, himself.

Honestly.....it's o.k. This morning, I was down at the pool swimming laps for my usual morning hour, and the sun was shining, and the birds were twittering, and "coming up quickly on 70" didn't seem half bad.

There are so many who are not lucky enough to make it to 50, or 60 or certainly, to 70. If you're at mid-life, and have a reasonably healthy life, with just the usual aches and pains........you've won the lottery, truly.

But.....all things ARE relative, I know, so go ahead and enjoy a bit of a pity party. I still remember the little sinking feeling when my mother gave me the gift of my first AARP membership card. It DID suck a bit.....although looking back from my present age, not so bad.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

"But something is calling me and not sure what that is..."

Hey, this is a good thing! Something; a mystery. How exciting, you'll know it when it gets here.

[domestic goddess]

If you are feeling the call to do something else, sometimes you just have to wait it out, and it will become evident.
I often feel this way. Getting older sure isn't for sissies! I hurt my hip on Good Friday, still can't walk without pain, a lot of pain, can't find a comfortable position to sleep. Frankly, I would drink Drano, if I really thought it would help the pain. And I guess it would; I doubt I would be focusing on my hip if I had burned up my throat and esophagus!
But anyway, sometimes it is just hard. There are things I would like to do, but sometimes I just know that I will not physically be able to do them. I can push through a lot of pain, but it is getting harder as I get older. So I am waiting for something else to become evident. It will happen, I just don't know what it will look like.
Every now and then, a little pity party is necessary. Acknowledge your losses, then pick yourself up and go on. Don't dwell on your losses, but you can't ignore them, either. Write a list of your accomplishments, the things you have to be grateful for, the challenges you have overcome. It will surprise you, and when the regrets sneak up on you, pull them out and enjoy them all over again. If you keep your heart and mind open, your next step will make itself known. Sometimes the most rewarding things are completely unexpected.

[kib]

Well, I'm only a crotchety old 48, but the other day the guy from Progressive had GOOD NEWS for me - in seven years when I become a "senior" I will be eligible for a discount if I take the defensive driving class. It felt just Marvelous to blast him with both barrels - I think my exact words were, 'You think this is Good News? I think you're an a$$hole." Fortunately for us, we both found this hilarious. There IS a silver lining to getting old after all! Free speech with less consequence.