Mid-Life What?!

A year ago, my husband and I bought a jet ski. Now, if you knew my husband, you would know he’s not cheap, but he’s tighter than a flea’s ass over a rain barrel. So, I was grinnin’ like a possum eatin’ a sweet tater. Yep! I was pretty excited! My daughters had a field day with this purchase…they teased us by saying we were having a mid-life crisis. CRISIS? What? To me that has such a negative tone. I mean after all, a crisis is a time of intense difficulty or trouble. Could it be that my husband and I are in crisis? Our oldest is married and has her own family, while our youngest is in college and loving that life! Both are happy living their lives, so are we in crisis? No way! We are so proud of how our little family that started 29 years ago is evolving. We aren’t perfect and have many moments of dysfunction, but that just keeps our lives colorful!

Are all empty-nesters in crisis if they begin taking trips, eating out more, buying toys like jet skis? I am here to proclaim an emphatic no! We are actually in a season of arrival…tee hee! We’ve worked hard at our jobs, taking our children to this practice or that, or ______________ (fill in the blank with whatever keeps you or (kept you) very busy. Our family meals were eating McDonald’s in the car as we zoomed from soccer or cheerleading to a school function, and realizing that on Friday night we forgot we have to wake up at 5:00 a.m. which means grabbing powdered donuts from the corner store on Saturday to go to a another game or competition! I’d look in the mirror and the activities of the week I had just ended looked like 10 miles of bad road all over my face. YIKES! Does this sound familiar to any of you?

I don’t know how you guys handled that season or currently handle it, but I found myself living in a fog, double-fisted with coffee to get me through the days of absolute zero time of rest! Yep, our family had more things going on at one time than you could shake a stick at! But now, I sleep in on Saturday mornings (sleeping until 6:00 a.m. is sleeping in), snuggle with the hubby (well maybe not exactly that since he’s always up earlier), but I do get to snuggle with a good warm cup of coffee until I’m ready to get dressed for the day.

We live a life of spontaneity (when I plan it out… (LOL) We decide at last minute to head out on the river, to take a trip, to go to dinner, and it’s simply wonderful! So, crisis? Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit because I absolutely think not! We are simply living in a new season of our life!

So late-lee as I reflect on our life, I don’t regret any of the seasons our family has gone through! Seasons strengthen you, soften you, and teach you wonderful lessons! Our children grow up faster than green grass growing on a goose, so love them, spend time with them, and most importantly, teach them through your actions and words how to be a good person. Show others kindness so they see what it looks like in action! The best legacy we can leave in this world is goodness. It’s not money or material things that matter. It’s how we treat others. Often in times of crisis, we recognize the goodness and kindness of those around us. Crisis or not, #ichoosekindness… do you? Let’s let that hashtag saturate all social media sources! Maybe just maybe in this season of all of our lives we can inspire goodness!