Sunday Blog 45 – 17th July 2022
I found myself thinking recently – do I need an interview outfit? Then I thought that no, I was past it and I was Past It. There are no interviews I want to subject myself to, no jobs I want to obtain. It is both Miserable to be past it but Wonderful to be Past It. That torture of the teens and twenties, thinking “What Am I Going To Do With My Life?” What career, partner, children will I have?
And when all of these things have largely unfolded (I mean I will still work, but I am not looking for a career, I’m looking for an exit stage left into the land of wide-open days with lots of writing space in them.)
I remember catching up with my sister back in the 1990s on a short trip home from Europe which was my base for a decade. Her second child was crawling around on the floor, a robust 18-month old who hadn’t even existed when I had left Australia.
“I’ve had my children”, she said, and again in case I hadn’t heard, “I’ve HAD my CHILDREN!”
It seemed very relevant at the time, and when seven years later I finally joined her in the ranks of motherhood, destined to be a solo mother to an only, I finally understood the wondrous completed feeling of having all the children I was destined to have.
Time does shoulder you gently, or not so gently off the stage, but what a wondrous privilege it is, being able to watch the next generation tackle the “what will I do, will I marry and will I be a parent” conundrums.
The years of experience behind me can pad me like a solid back of a chair, give me confidence to navigate this strange and wondrous world, and enjoy my view from the stalls.
Still loving my grey hair, too.
Dearest Pip, from one who exited stage left about a year ago and has long grown into her grey hair, I’m relating to that feeling of freedom that comes with vastly fewer ‘have tos’ on my to-do list. A curious wondering of ‘what next for me?’ exists but minus any pressure, just requiring my presence to recognise when it approaches me, plus plenty of acceptance and compassion for self and others along the way. Something creative will come I suspect, but it certainly isn’t a new career! Love your new job (vocation?) title and enjoying your e-news. I’ll keep an eye out for your novella, but NO PRESSURE!!
Thanks Glenis!! x