Category: middle age
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Be Encouraged, Your Sacrifice Matters
“I’m not really this person, letting my wife make the real money while I sit here 15 hours a day, seven days a week.” A once-vibrant professional and just-turned 40 entrepreneur/Dad says this to me fifteen years ago. “In my head, I’m back in a suit, important at work and…
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Optimism Doesn’t Equal Denial
Once upon a time, in a land long ago (called my thirties), I still retained a significant amount of optimism, even about the smallest things. I have always been a pragmatist, but a cheerful one. Fast-forward to my 50’s and though I still work toward positivity, I’m not the Pollyanna…
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Society Thought Elvis’ Gyrating Hips Were Scandalous? Please.
While recently rewatching the Austin Butler version of Elvis with my daughters, I laughed that his gyrating hips were considered shocking and indecent. In the 1990’s, using bare chested Mark Wahlberg and Kate Moss with visible underwear bands was labeled a “shock value” marketing ploy in an effort to seize…
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You’re Middle-Age When…Product Reviews
You are highly suspicious of any review starting with, “This review was collected as part of a promotion” or, the latest new wording: “product gifted by (XYZ company)”. The exception: book reviews! But, back to products… If you’re really observant, you’ll notice some reviews contain the “research results”. If you’re…
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And So She Flew…Again
I laid in bed, silently grumbling that I was awake at 5:30am and didn’t need to be on that particular Friday morning. My eldest daughter was getting ready for work upstairs and I wondered if her Shark hair styler woke me. I pulled the blanket up to my chin, hoping…
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You’re Middle-Age When…Heating Pads and High Heels
High heels and wine glasses previously lingering from Friday nights long ago, have been replaced by heating pads and orthopedic footwear… This was my Saturday morning view on the way to the kitchen-from my Friday night of packing boxes (we are selling this big empty nest–another post someday)… I still…
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The Time is Now
If you have been around church a while, you’ve likely heard several sermons encouraging parishioners to “wait upon the Lord”. “Keep waiting with great expectation of what the Lord can do!” the enthusiasm pours down from the pulpit. Wait for the salvation of family members. Wait patiently for the promotion.…
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More Jack Dawson, Less Cal Hockley
Assuming you have seen the movie Titanic at least twelve times, you’ll recall Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Jack Dawson as a happy, lively and engaging young guy. Though attractive, Cal Hockley (Billy Zane) is conversely entitled, arrogant and haughty. Jack embraces life as indicated in his famous dinner speech: I mean,…
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Thieves: Stop Stealing. The Rest of Us: Stop Enabling the Thieves
Good people understand the extensive questioning and background checks required at church before being permitted near children. We accept walking in our socks through airport security to ensure our safety. Where is the line drawn for…
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When the Adult Kids Move Back Home, Must Mom and Dad Step it Back Up?
My husband and I were slow to adjust to the empty nest. When our third child moved out a year ago, we shuffled through the house aimlessly for a couple of months. Cooking dinner according to the kids’ various work and gym schedules was no longer necessary. Going out to…
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You’re Middle-Age When…Commercials
You fondly remember the hilarious, super fun, feel-good television commercials of the past. Now? Commercial watching is ruined. Big pharma is one of many reasons to only stream commercial-free tv. Christmas commercials used to be a gentle, snowy, nostalgic-generating 15-30 seconds during a December television show. Super Bowl commercials even…
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Mid-Life Snoring?!
While raising my three children, the mere whisper of “Mama” at 2am bolted me straight up and out of REM sleep. If one of them rumbled a quiet cough, I was awake. My eyes shot open at the sound of someone streaming water from the fridge at 4am. Like most…
Tales from a Mid-Lifer 