Mid-Life Crisis? Who, me?

It’s funny how you go along in life, time passes by so quickly and then you suddenly realize….YOU are middle-aged.

 I used to think that middle-aged meant someone well into their 50s - mostly because I never really did the literal math of a middle-aged person. But if you consider that the average life span for a woman these days is around 81 years, then I most certainly am middle-aged.

I have these moments when I wonder if I’m having a mid-life crisis. I think we all know how that stereotype plays out in men – buys sports car, divorces wife for younger woman, blah blah blah. But for a woman, what does a mid-life crisis look like?

Clearly, not everyone runs off with a youngster, buys a Ferrari or tries to create an alternate reality (where others still see you as a 25 year old) if they’re content in their lives. For me, I think crisis plays out in self-reflection, self-realization and facing the inevitable that each day is a little closer to death. That might sound a bit dark on the surface, but if you are as happy-go-lucky as I am, it morphs into something beautiful and ultimately fulfilling.

At this stage in my life, I just want to be happy and healthy. I want to travel and see incredible things with my eyes that my mouth cannot explain. I am incredibly fortunate to have found someone to love who loves me back, unconditionally. We have little fur babies who are such a joy (our “kids”) and who also love unconditionally. We have a loving and supportive family and a small circle of people we can actually call friends.  We have all of our basic needs met – food on the table, roof over our heads, etc.

I don’t need millions of dollars in the bank to make me happy. Money cannot buy my happiness. Some people think differently. I say to those people: you might get everything you want, but is it what you need? For your soul?

Too often, I see people chasing dollar signs – mostly because they have to stay fashioned in their luxury cars, and be able to afford those McMansions and the trendiest clothes. But if all those things burst into flames right now, what would they have left? Sure, money makes things a little easier, but it’s not everything. Now, I’m not saying that you can’t have it all. I’m just saying that one day all those material possessions won’t matter.

At the end of your days, if you can look back and say, “I was loved,” then you’ve lived a great life! And that can mean love from anyone – your partner, friends, family, pets – whoever you have in your life that brings you joy! Love comes in all shapes, colors, sizes and sources. If you have it, consider yourself blessed! And if you give it, then you have brought it all full circle.

Love goes on long after we do.

Now, that’s a nice legacy! And if realizing what’s most important is my mid-life crisis? I’ll take it.