What A Midlife Crisis Feels Like
November 11, 2008
In the next hour I will be at my aunt’s funeral. Aunt Hazel died last Friday at 79. And to be honest, I can’t imagine the world without her. My earliest memories of her are of a loving woman who always said what she meant and meant what she said. “No nonsense” was her mantra. Good cooking and a great sense of humor were her forte. She was part of the fabric of my life.
I talk a lot here about midlife and transformation and how this is all a bridge to the better half of life. Most of the time that’s really what I believe. But today, life is feeling more like a midlife crisis. Here’s how it’s hitting me right now:
- My aunt has died.
- She was my mother’s younger sister–my 10 years–and my mother is still living.
- My mother has dementia and although we’ve told her about her sister’s death, it’s hard to know how she’s taking this sad news.
- That makes me sad.
- I’m here in Virginia surrounded by cousins–Aunt Hazel and Mom are the last elders on this side of the family. My mother and immediate family can’t be here so it’s just me from the Michigan contingency.
- All the young cousins I held as babies are now grown and having families of their own.
- My older cousin who’s 75 feels like a peer and my cousin who’s just a few years old is about to turn 60.
- Yes I pretend sometimes that I’m only as young as I think but 60 is around the corner for me too.
Well enough from me now. I’ve got to leave for the funeral. You’ve got a sense of what a midlife crisis feels like to me today.
What about you?
Podcast with Author and Alzheimer’s Caregiver Mary Ellen Geist
October 20, 2008
I’ve graduated from just blogging (well it’s never really “just”, is it) to my first podcast interview with author Mary Ellen Geist who left her successful career to come home to Michigan to take a new job as caregiver to her father, Woody who is a victim of Alzheimer’s. Talking with Mary Ellen was like connecting with a soul sister. We both have parents with dementia, both are from Michigan and both are in midlife.
Hearing about Mary Ellen’s midlife transition — can we ever really call these things a crisis — was amazing especially since she decided to share her experience in her new book Measures of the Heart - A Father’s Alzheimer’s, A Daugher’s Return. It a wonderful story that had me smiling in some chapters and crying in others. I hope you’ll add this to your book list for a long winter’s night (at least here in Michigan).
Do you have a special story to share about care-giving?
The Absence of Fear–A Midlife Perspective
September 22, 2008
I’m the person who’s deathly afraid of spiders. Remember the scene in Annie Hall where Diane Keaton’s character calls Woody Allen’s character to come over and kill the spider in her house. Well, that’s me. I even pulled my car over once and got out when one of those creepy crawlers descended from my rear-view mirror.
Obviously what I have is a phobia–an irrational fear. But whose the one who is always saying here that fear is just “false evidence appearing real”. That’s me too. Well being fearful is just no way to live life — is it? Well take a look below at me not being afraid …
… of a herd of bison! I was visiting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming last week and spent an amazing day in the Grand Tetons National Park. We were on a bus and saw these bison from afar. When we got off the bus to photograph them and the herd started moving–to cross the road.
I was surprising unafraid of these huge creatures–the bulls weigh 2 tons! So I kept getting closer to get take better photos. At one point, I was closer to the herd than anyone in our party. And then I got the look–and I knew it was for me.
Yes the look from that really huge bison with the big horns that said:
“Don’t come any closer.”
We understood one another well. With the utmost respect I backed up while this bull escorted the rest of the herd across the road and left me alone.
As I got back on the bus, I thought about this once-in-a-lifetime encounter. The others laughed and called me the “bison-whisperer”. Crazy me–the woman who’s scared of a bug, to get so close to such a massive animal and not be afraid.
Yet another surprise from my midlife trip.
Karen’s Klips — Midlife Women Bloggers Meet Face to Face
August 19, 2008
Well, this is a landmark day here at Midlife’s A Trip 
From time to time I feature videos from around the Internet but today I’m posting my first video made right here behind the scenes at my homebase in Michigan! It’s the result of plenty of trial and error, furniture moving and lots of laughter.
Joining me in the video is friend and fellow midlife woman blogger, Allison Allen from the great state of Texas and the awesome Women Bloom.com. Allison and I met through the growing network of midlife women bloggers and have developed a friendship and “mastermind” group. OK, OK — I’m taking my fingers off the keyboard now so you can listen to our story below:
If you could meet one of your favorite bloggers face to face, who would it be?
The Coach’s Coach — From Doormat to Diva
May 4, 2008
One of the major stops on my midlife trip has been becoming a professional life coach. Yes I know, some of you are wondering what the heck that is.
Well, a life coach helps you turn your dreams into reality — basically get from where you are to where you want to be. An amazing part of my learning to be a coach was finding my own coach — the remarkable Merci Miglino!
Merci’s unique coaching style of humor, wisdom and enthusiasm kept me on target to getting my coaching certification. More importantly, though, she was one of my biggest cheerleaders as I discovered and embraced the “real” me or as Merci puts it:
The Karen-est Karen I can be!!
Now I could go on and on about how Merci has helped me establish a practice where I coach others like me on the midlife trip. But why not just let you see Merci in action. So if you can use a little fun and inspiration in your Sunday, take 10 minutes to watch Merci in “From Doormat to Diva”:
Thank you Merci.
-
Karen - Midlife Coach
