Self

The Moment That Turned My Midlife Into An Adventure, Not A Crisis

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midlife

When you think about midlife, do you think about reading glasses, colonoscopies, weight gain, boredom at work and empty nest syndrome?

I did, too.

Most aren’t comfortable admitting to something called a 'crisis'.

I wasn’t, that’s for sure.

But many of us start to feel like life is passing us by and we haven’t accomplished everything on our list yet. 

I remember when I realized this. It was an odd little encounter at my gym and I didn’t see it coming. I recognized a neighbor at the front desk. I had never had a single conversation with him before, but I recognized his daughter and said hello. We started talking and he told me that he had just come back from a white water rafting trip in the Grand Canyon.

BOOM!

What he said hit me like a ton of bricks.

I had always wanted to do this and here I was, smack dab in my midlife chapter and a trip like this wasn’t even on my agenda or radar. That was the moment I realized I wasn’t living an intentional life. I was responding to my hectic, chaotic, busy life with my three teens, husband, job and pets, rather than figuring out exactly what I wanted and making it happen.

Time was ticking by … and I was definitely starting to feel that life was short and I needed to get going!

I hadn’t allowed myself to dream in decades. Probably since college. This chance encounter at the gym changed my life. (And I don’t even remember that neighbor’s name.)

Needless to say, it didn’t take much convincing to get my husband on board. So I booked a six day white water rafting trip with Western River Expeditions during the summer when all three kids were at camp and we had a fantastic adventure!

That trip sparked my imagination again.

It ignited my passion to not have regrets. And it started me down the road to MY more intentional midlife chapter.

Need more help? Contact Suzy about her Midlife Unplugged Life Coaching Six Week Package; she offers a free Mini Session. Or check out her free download The Dream Igniter for 10 easy strategies to spark your ability to dream again.

This article was originally published at Midlife Unplugged Blog. Reprinted with permission from the author.