Midlife’s A Trip

Midlife Life Lists–Antidote to the Crisis

Posted on 16. Oct, 2007 by Karen.

As I talk with people about my coaching practice and my focus on people in midlife, invariably the topic of "midlife crisis" comes up.  Many of us at this age wonder if the crisis is a must-do stop on the journey through midlife.  Not necessarily so.
To the extent that there is crisis in midlife, I [...]

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Don’t Talk About War No More

Posted on 04. Oct, 2007 by Karen.

Today I got a letter from my local newspaper.  "Special Offer" it said–get the paper for the entire week for what you pay for weekend delivery.  For a brief moment I considered the deal because I get the paper only on the weekend now.  Then I remembered how I’ve hated reading the weekend paper lately [...]

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Can You Recover from Being a Control Freak?

Posted on 04. Oct, 2007 by Karen.

Over the past 24 hours, I’ve been on the phone for 5 of those troubleshooting a problem with my telephone.  Since I rely heavily on the phone and computer as tools for my life coaching practice, it’s an understatement to say that I was stressed out by the situation.  The problem for me was three-fold–

Not [...]

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Dad and Ralph Waldo Emerson On What Matters In Life

Posted on 01. Oct, 2007 by Karen.

It’ll be 5 years ago this month since my father passed away.  I keep him with me in little ways.  For instance, I dedicated my garden to Dad because he loved to plant flowers each year.  And I keep this poem on my bathroom wall that Dad always had on his.  It’s by Ralph Waldo [...]

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What Deep Hole Have You Fallen Into Lately?

Posted on 01. Oct, 2007 by Karen.

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
by Portia Nelson
CHAPTER ONE
I walk down the street.  There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.  I fall in.  I am lost….I am helpless.  It isn’t my fault.  It takes forever to find my way out.
CHAPTER TWO
I walk down the same street.  There is a deep hole in the [...]

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Know What You Don’t Know

Posted on 01. Oct, 2007 by Karen.

Have you ever just not had the answer to an important question.  Like:

What’s should I do with the rest of my life?
Where should I live?
Should I retire?
Who should I vote for?

As I got to a certain age, I felt like I was expected to have all the answers–or so it seemed.  Well, my 3 year [...]

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How to View Midlife — Is It the New Adolescence?

Posted on 24. Sep, 2007 by Karen.

I’ve been thinking for a while that midlife is a lot like adolescence–that major transition from one phase of life to another.  How you take the trip definitely influences how you come out on the other side.  It certainly did with adolescence and adulthood. 
But the more I think about this trip through midlife, the more [...]

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Dementia–Where the Past Becomes the Present

Posted on 24. Sep, 2007 by Karen.

My mom has had dementia for years.  I remember buying the book The 36 Hour Day in 1987 because I thought then that there was something wrong.  Since that time I have been trying to understand the ins and outs of dementia while there’s been an increasing dialog on how to stay present in the [...]

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Dementia, Mom and Me–Clean Your Room

Posted on 24. Sep, 2007 by Karen.

When I was a kid, my mom didn’t allow us to have many sweets.  She was way ahead of her time–vintage nutrition freak.  With that said, I snuck candy and gum into the house and the sanctity of my room.  Since I couldn’t throw the wrappers away because Mom would see them, I stuffed them [...]

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Dementia, Mom and Me–The Tough Trip

Posted on 23. Sep, 2007 by Karen.

This is the first of my postings on the "trip" with my mother through her dementia.  I know I’m not the only one experiencing this journey that many of us undertake in midlife as we start to parent our aging parents. 
My mom has had dementia for years–the vascular kind.  Unlike the steady decline of [...]

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Bunny Slippers; My New Dress Code

Posted on 19. Sep, 2007 by Karen.

Last Friday I read Elderblogger Ronni Bennett’s posting on how she dresses for the day as she works from home.  www.timegoesby.net.  I too have changed my dress code now that I work from home.  The days of dressing for success and sporting the latest trends have given way to being all about comfort. 
Before I started [...]

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Midlife’s About Letting Go of Fear–Part II

Posted on 18. Sep, 2007 by Karen.

Last night I posted on letting go of fear through my "flying" experience on a ropes course.  This morning I was sitting at my dining room table having a bagel (my reward after working out).  I have a subscription to this wonderful little magazine called "Positive Thinking" (www.positivethinkingmag.com). I’ve been reading articles in the September/October [...]

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Midlife is About Letting Go of Fear

Posted on 17. Sep, 2007 by Karen.

So why this blog on midlife. Well, first some shameless self-promotion.  I’m a life coach and my niche is helping people ages 45-65 lead happier lives. Check out my website at www.openforlifecoaching.com.  Deciding to coach professionally was part of my own midlife trip. Others observing me from afar may have said "Oh, oh–she’s having a [...]

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