mid-life

note from author: perhaps some of my readers may not be able to identify with this post, seeing that the general demographic age is lower than the author :-p don't worry. come back in a few years' time and re-read it. maybe it'll make more sense then.

the hardest thing about growing old....er (stop laughing, zewt!) is not having a manual for a guide. a step-by-step book telling you what to expect all the way, what to look out for, which potholes to avoid. maybe that's why they say that the old is golden..because they give you sound advice on what to expect....but many of us do not have that luxury.

the entertainment industry has made the word 'mid-life crisis' sound like a dirty word...a time when you hit the panic button and don't know which way you want your life to head. a time when you feel lost and question the priorities in your life. you've all seen it....a sure sign is when somebody buys a red porshe (how cliche) or has an affair with someone many moons their junior. i've listened to the same tune over and over again from people in that stage of their life (the figures are high up there, together with the infidelity of married men. actually, i think the two may be related.). it seems inevitable. it seems sad. that so many souls feel lost when they hit their mid 30's to 40's, do things that jeopardise all the effort that they have put in their lives. people that were so full of confidence, so resolute in their stride...suddenly wondering whether this is what they want out of life, taking stock of their achievements. i see it in everybody around me, in around the same age group at least. it's there...if you can't see it, you're not stripping off enough layers. it saddens me, both because of empathy and personal experience.

by chance, i came across a little article in a catalogue. finally i understood. it's just a stage of life. a part of what you have to go through at this point of your life, pretty much like sagging skin and drooping body parts. which isn't all bad because it helps you take stock of your life...makes you think what you want to do for the rest of your life. it doesn't negates what you have done in the earlier part of your life, just defines how you want the latter part to be. a little like a wake-up call. a little like another brand new start.

i want to rip out that article. i want to laminate it and hang it where i can see it everyday. i want it to remind me of how i can still be the best that i want to be. i want it to tell me that everyday is a new beginning.