I’ve only recently begun writing. It’s professional by no means, but has become a great way to record some of my thoughts and events that maybe the kids will enjoy reading some day (or at least give them a reason to say ‘My mom really was weird!’).
But writing has also afforded me the opportunity to do a little more introspective thinking. And it spawns questions. What’s important to me? What have I learned from my experiences? Where am I going? Am I as weird as I’m starting to seem to myself?
Writing to share with others also leads to reading others’ writing. There is a bond we have with each other in sharing our love of family, our trials, our delights, our dreams...We may find it comforting to find others with whom we may have similar experiences. We find that we grow in stretching our thinking by reading of others’ views who may not be exactly as our own. It is enriching.
I’ve recently been added to a Facebook group by a friend. I'm really enjoying what I'm reading there and I relate to much of it. It is for Midlife Women Writers. At first, I was taken aback - am I “middle-aged”?!
A quick trip over to Google confirmed that I am indeed that word. When did I get there? And how come it’s so short? Google states that middle age is loosely defined as being somewhere between 45-55 years of age. Yikes! I’d gotten there and been there a couple of years without even knowing it!
It’s snuck up on me, I suppose. I had my first of seven children at age 22, so I actually got to be a young mom for a few of my children. But, I kept having children and have actually managed to snag the title of “older mom” for a few of my children as well. (And that’s the title I get when others don’t assume that I’m their grandma or nanny or whatever.) There’s 17 years between my firstborn and youngest. The youngest is still 7 years old! Doesn’t that absolve me from being considered middle-aged?
My mother-in-law is now 82 years old. She describes her age as being “one foot in the grave and one on a banana peel.” I’m a few years from there, but I’m going to adapt it for my stretch that’s between mid-life and being a mom with grade school kiddos. I’m “one foot into Dr. Scholl’s (darn bunions) and one foot on a Lego.”
I can’t wait to hear from you about your life experiences. Know that I’m interested in the issues that face mid-lifers, but I’m still firmly entrenched as well in Disney, tadpoles, mermaids, dress-up, and the like. I’m wearing my sensible shoes, but don’t be surprised if I have braids with butterfly clips (and sparkles) in my hair.