About Living Your Life as a Passionate Woman...

Following Your Heart... 
You live your life mastering what you think you must, performing within your box.  Then, suddenly, you have to, or  need to, or should, alter your self-image and move in a different direction and different way in order to follow where your heart or circumstances or soul leads you.

Just as a baby goes through The Terrible Two's, learning to master a sense of self in opposition to surroundings and parents, each stage of life has it's own linear path of learning purpose. When that stage is exhausted, we are comfortable with our mastery and the skills we have juggled. Then there is a next stage along life's path (as I write this you wouldn't believe how loud the coyotes are before dawn this morning.  Gee, it's party time howling outside my window. There must be seven or more.) 

To navigate through each stage in life -- be it teens or the 40s, widowhood or career change -- one has to be willing to take on new challenges in order to through the growth process.  I thought of how I moved forward to obtain a master's in an area that I felt passion about in my 40s after the demands of motherhood and corporate wife-hood had made me lose myself somewhat in the process of meeting the needs of others. That stage relates to what Susie wrote about the 40s and this particular part, about how we must have courage to pursue our passion,  I found profound:

“When you cross the street, you will have left an opening around everyone who once stood beside you. They will begin to act differently just because you moved. This, they cannot do, until you cross the street. It’s up to you to make the move; so that the lives of those around you can be transformed.”

We have to live our lives ready to step out of the box to pursue our destiny, and living this way takes courage.  It makes all the difference when you approach life in this way. When you live life as part of a community - be it family, friends, or a group built around a common cause, using our aptitudes and living outside the box is the way life's joy and magic works to ricochet blessings, thus enriching ourselves and others.

The coyote's would echo my point: yip, yip, yip, ahhhhyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Comments

[Kathy]

I've always enjoyed the age I'm at, and the age my children are at. But when the next year comes, I'm ready.

Even if I stayed the same, life would never be boring. There's so much to explore, and the world is changing so quickly.

Now if I only had 48 hours in a day to do all that I want to do!

[tut-tut]

It's hard, though, to find time for yourself when you are self-employed. It seems I'm working all the time, and can snatch only little bits of time for myself.

[susiej]

You have spoken volumes here... this is wonderful. My 40s are different than most; I still have small children, which does greatly limit the amount of "me time" and discovery. However, I'm much more attuned to living in the moment and enjoying life through my children's eyes, than I was in my 30s.

[joared]

Very well said. I, too, obtained my masters in my 40's and entered a completely new profession to me. Anticipated retirement years activities were altered due to spousal health problems. Then, these past two years have placed me on an altered path as a widow. Continuing to work part time has been an important grounding for me during this time.

[carron e hardin]

Just wanted to say this is such a thoughtful and thought-provoking piece. One my favorites of all the things you have written....I love it! And you too....c.