Speaking in golf terms for my husband, I answer across the room, “we are on the back nine, no longer in mid-life”.
He’s not happy. “Why do you have to say that?”
We were talking about him turning 60 last summer and me being deep into my 50’s. It’s a hard conversation: acknowledging that we’re not living to 120, nor do we want to speculate how long Jesus has determined we will remain here with our beloveds (Psalm 139:16).
According to Psychology Today, “Midlife is the central period of a person’s life, spanning from approximately age 40 to age 65.” Wow! Ok, forget the ‘back 9’! After all, most of us 50-60++ somethings still refer to ourselves as mid-lifers. It’s easier to say we’re mid-life indefinitely.
The same Psychology Today article continues with, “It can be a stressful time, as many people come to feel discontented and restless as they struggle with aging, mortality, and holding onto a sense of purpose.” Agreed. We look different (ugh, my neck!), and family dynamics have vastly shifted (nests are fully or partially empty of the baby ducks). We seek out revised or an altogether new purpose for daily life, and yuck, we must have updated wills, healthcare proxy’s and all that mortality stuff because these worn down bodies increasingly require some surgical repairs.
Though sometimes it feels lonely, we’re not alone traveling these life seasons. We have the One who created the seasons-who never leaves us-and each other. Let’s trek through the serious and the lighter side of the peculiarities in everyday life together…throughout the middle and well beyond.
PT quotes: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/midlife; Golf image: twinfallsgc.com; click quote for source.
Tales from a Mid-Lifer 
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