LOVING BEING A LATE BLOOMER

#midlife blog crestingthehill.com.au

LATE BLOOMING

I've recently come to the conclusion that I am a late bloomer. It explains a lot of things about my life and all the discoveries I've been making in the last year or so. Often when I blog about something I've discovered about myself or about life, I get comments from other lovely bloggers who had reached the same point - except they are in their 30's and 40's while I was further down life's path before I worked it out.

Late blooming isn't a bad thing - it means that I have a lot of life experience under my belt and I've weathered a heap of ups and downs. It's given me good soil to grow in and I'm hoping that my "blossoming" will be all the better from it.

FINDING MYSELF AGAIN

I think women of my generation grew up putting their needs second (or third or fourth...) to the needs of those around them. We took our identities from our roles of wife, or mother, or business person, or whatever else came our way. We often gave very little thought to who the 'real' person was underneath it all.

Now that I've had a few years of adjusting to empty nesting and to a life that holds less external roles, I've finally taken the time to look inside and find out who the real Leanne is without all the hats I've worn over the last 30 or more years of adulthood. The surprising thing is that I quite like "me" - I might not be to everyone's taste, but I am a woman who is finding her feet and her place in the world and enjoying the process.

bloom in your own time

BLOGGING AND SELF DISCOVERY

I am so grateful to have discovered blogging in this journey of finding myself. It has given me a place to put down my thoughts and to connect with so many other women who are finding themselves and liking who they are blossoming into. A mature bloom is a lovely thing to behold and is often something worth waiting for. I'd like to think that this is just the beginning of opening out and enjoying the sunshine of life. I love that it isn't too late to enjoy my moment in time - I'm still healthy and relatively young, and there's a lot of life waiting for me to jump into and experience.

Perhaps the younger women of today have benefited from an abundance of self confidence and the ability to take ownership of who they are much sooner than I did, but I think I appreciate each new discovery that little bit more because it has come later in life. I certainly don't take for granted the freedom I have now to put my needs first and to claim my slice of life and my moment in the sun.


27 comments

  1. I am for sure a late bloomer...the good new is IT IS NEVER TOO LATE!

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    1. that is SO true Pam - I think you appreciate it even more when you've taken your time to get there :)

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  2. I feel like I'm a late-bloomer too. I'm probably not much younger, but I had my kids in my mid thirties. I think they're keeping me young. Between them and my hubby, I feel like I'm so much more open and courageous than I would be without them. They're actually allowing me to bloom even more! Thank you so much for choosing my Half Marathon post as one of your features!! I've been blogging on and off now for 5 years and I'm so glad I've found you guys!!!

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    1. thanks so much for stopping by to visit my blog :) I loved the idea of walking a marathon and I love the idea of kids keeping you young - my first grandbaby is on the way and I'm planning on being the Nan that makes her giggle!

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  3. I am the definition of late bloomer. ;) Loved this. Will share.
    Just came by again, can't stay away, this time from Elena's awesome #BlogShareLearn linky party. :)
    Hope you can drop by my blog party http://yadadarcyyada.com/2016/01/29/always-on-my-mind/ and introduce your blog to others. :)

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    1. I'd love to Donna - so glad you stopped by - I'm off to visit your blog xx

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  4. I think so much about this as well.
    Is the generation behind me coming to it sooner? Will they, too, have a shift at age 46 as I have?

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    1. I think they have a head start on us Carla - but maybe they'll have a different kind of epiphany when they get in their mid 40's - 50!

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  5. I love this. Maybe a lot of writers are late bloomers. That soil needs time to get richer with age before we can share what we know. Lovely post.

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    1. I like the idea of my soul getting richer Laurie - it's nice to know that getting older has its benefits :)

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  6. This is beautifully stated. Taking off our hats and discovering the 'real me' is a wonderful adventure, perhaps appreciated even more because our younger years were defined by those hats.Visiting via #BlogShareLearn. Had to Pin this to my Grandparents board. :)

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    1. thanks so much Tamuria - it's so good reaching a point in life where there is time to re-discover myself and where I want the next 20 or so years to go....

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  7. I love that I'm a mature bloom, sounds so much better!

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    1. I think we're all blooming Jennifer - we'd make a great cottage garden!

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  8. I often wonder if it really is late blooming or its the perfect time in our lives to explore this avenue of ourselves. I've always wanted to explore writing but I just didn't have the time until now. I think as we get closer to retirement, we have time to see and explore the possibilities. It is time to explore our dreams.

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    1. that's so true Lee - it's like coming up for air after being completely absorbed in parenting, work, marriage etc - deciding what is worth keeping and what we want to do with these years ahead - I'm loving it too.

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  9. So agree that we are a generation who have switched between 'social' identities - career woman, mum, wife, I've done them all. Long may you continue blooming!

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    1. thanks so much Mimi - I guess you have to work your way through a lot of identities to settle on the blend that is truly yourself - and that's where late bloomers come into their own!

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  10. I agree Leanne I think quite a few of us are late bloomers. We grew up in a different generation and made sure our daughters were independant and felt free to speak their minds. We are never too old to find ourselves and you are right having the time to reflect now makes life so much sweeter. Thanks for co-hosting with us at #overthemoon.

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    1. thanks Sue - I think we did a much better job with our daughters than we did with ourselves - it's taken a while for me to catch up, but I'm definitely getting my head around this "blooming" business!

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  11. My husband is French and the phrase they use for that translates as unfolding like a blossom. He tells me that, then shakes his head and says it loses its beauty in English. Think about a flower opening up its petals in the morning to greet the sun.

    And then imagine a garden where all the flowers unfolded at the same time. Enjoy your late blossoming.

    And thanks for sharing this with us at The Blogger's Pit Stop.
    - Marie, Blogger's Pit Stop Crew

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    1. thanks Marie - I think the French definitely have a way with words - you're lucky to have a Frenchman who can explain nuances like that so well :)

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  12. I'm definitely a late bloomer - especially with my writing. It's taken me forever to get here :)!

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    1. You're getting there faster than me Lana - but the blooming is so nice isn't it?

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  13. Hi Leanne,
    I think there are many late bloomers. You wrote a totally relatable post. I'm sure many late bloomers appreciate it. It helps to know you are not the only one.
    Janice

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  14. I'm beginning to think that we flowered young, thought we were late bloomers then, flowered a little more, still thought we were late, and when we reach 80, we will still think we are just starting to put on our mature blooms. I remember reading Leo the Late Bloomer to my kindergarten students thinking that I was beyond late blooming. No kids of my own, none on the horizon, friends younger than I who had eight to ten year olds. I cried every month especially on Mother's Days. I wallowed in pity to our school secretary who had just witnessed a conversation someone had with me about people who didn't have children being very immature and not being the best teachers. She must have seen how crestfallen I was and said, Don't feel bad. The only thing about Mother's Day at our house is "What are you fixing for lunch, Mom? Can you take us shopping after lunch?"

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    1. I think you might be right Marsha - maybe it comes down to realizing that our blooming isn't done and dusted by the time we turn 30, but rather we re-flower every year (like a perennial). I was thinking about roses today - they are beautiful in bud, unfurling, in full bloom, and also when they're slowly fading into pastels. Maybe we need to see ourselves as roses - always having beauty in every stage of our blooming.

      I also think that no stage is perfect and no stage is the same for everyone - we each flower in our own way and in our own time - envying the bloom of others hurts us, and comparing our blooms hurts us, and not appreciating our own bloom does too. Gratitude and knowing our self worth is definitely the key isn't it?

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