One of my wise and beautiful friends presented me with the book, Gift from the Sea, written by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of the infamous, Charles Lindbergh. I had never heard of it but trusted that the words spread throughout the book would somehow resonate within me. The book had taken up residence on my nightstand waiting patiently for me, but that time never came. Before we left on our trip, I put it in my travel bag thinking that reading it on the beach might give the words more purpose. There is nothing more soothing than the waves dancing as they make their journey to shore.
So, I opened it with the mindset of how the words of a woman, written fifty years ago would pertain to me. I greedily read her wisdom with continued amazement of how similar her thoughts were to mine. It was as if she were anticipating my life shift as I send one away to college and maneuver my way into a different phase of my journey.
While the term “middle-age” has gotten a bad rap, I prefer to look at it as a new beginning. No longer I am jockeying for position in terms of a necessity to survive. Instead, the foundation has been built and I am settled. Flowing with life instead of fighting it. Still taking opportunities to learn, but am wiser with my selections. And the most important, never compromising my truth while surrounding myself with only the best of people.
This book reminded me that I am a separate unit from my spouse and boys. That it is important for me – in the crutch of craziness – to give myself the space of solace. While I know all of these things, I am mindful that I don’t always seize the moments. My new best friend, Anne Lindbergh is giving me a nudge to do just that as I blend into my mid-life.
“All living relationships are in the process of change, of expansion, and more deeply still, that there is no holding of a relationship to its single form. This is not tragedy but part of the ever-current miracle of life and growth.” ~ page 66, Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
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