Cresting The Hill: my midlife

Showing posts with label my midlife. Show all posts

MOVING TOWARDS AN "ALL CARE AND NO RESPONSIBILITY" APPROACH

Monday, 24 August 2026

I was in my 50's before I realized that I could care about people and situations without taking responsibility for everyone and everything.

WHEN TOO MUCH IS TOO MUCH

I'm an oldest daughter - that title comes with an awful lot of baggage that I've carried with me for most of my life. I've always been the responsible one, the one with a plan (and a second plan in case the first plan fails), the one who over invests in other people's issues, the rescuer, the fixer, and the all-round juggler who wants everyone to be happy all the time.

When I write all that out, it sounds ridiculous, and it is! Nobody needs to do all that, and it leads to leaky boundaries, taking on too much, and burning out over things that aren't mine to carry.

IS A BORING LIFE A BAD LIFE? DO I NEED TO BE DOING MORE?

Monday, 27 July 2026

Is it okay to lead a quiet boring life? Can we allow ourselves the grace to live peacefully while others live larger?

WHAT MAKES A LIFE "BORING"?

I've been watching other people's lives on Facebook recently and they're all so busy doing stuff. They're off travelling the country, or travelling the world, or attending events, working hard at careers, or living large in general. Me.....not so much. I'm just here at home living my small life and wondering if I should be wanting more? Is my life boring if I don't feel bored?

MIDLIFE HAS BEEN MY TIME OF REALIGNMENT

Monday, 20 July 2026

Midlife has been the era of my realignment - where I've shed the layers that aren't needed anymore to make the space I need.

BEING STRUCK BY A CONCEPT

Recently I saw a quote online that was titled "Realignment" and it wasn't the quote itself that really struck me, it was the title that stood out - the concept of becoming realigned into who we are meant to be. It feels like Midlife has been my era of realignment - where I've shed the layers that aren't needed anymore to create a space where I feel at home in myself at last, and where I'm finally thriving.

These are some of the areas where I feel I've realigned over the last decade or so:

A MID-YEAR REVIEW OF LIVING A MORE MINDFUL MIDLIFE

Monday, 29 June 2026

Mindfulness isn't all "zen" and meditative, it's more about looking within myself to know what really matters on a heart level.

MY WOTY FOR 2026

At the beginning of the year I chose "Mindful" as my inspiration for 2026, and it's been a really good reminder to be more intentional about what's happening in my life. When things slow down and there's not much happening, it can feel a little like I'm coasting along without all the excitement and plans I see others sharing on their social media feed. What am I doing? Why don't I want to be racing off on adventures? Am I content with where I'm at?

This is where being mindful starts to kick in....

WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

Monday, 22 June 2026

We don't become happy souls or, alternatively, grumpy old people overnight, and we don't become wise and caring without putting in the work.

WHO DO WE WANT TO BE AS WE AGE?

I remember reading an article from John Mark Comer that discussed the idea that who we become in our old age is being determined by what we've focused our lives on in the lead-up. He says...

What you give your attention to is the person you become. Put another way: the mind is the portal to the soul, and what you fill your mind with will shape the trajectory of your character. In the end, your life is no more than the sum of what you gave your attention to.

We don't become happy souls or, alternatively, grumpy old people overnight, and we don't become wise and caring without putting in the work. Getting older can feel tricky at times when our body starts to slow a little, or lets us down occasionally. We can focus on what we're losing.... or we can turn our attention to all that we still have and enjoy the final third of our lives based on all the good that we've created and that's still to be found...

BECOMING MINDFUL OF MY SOCIAL CAPACITY AS I GET OLDER

Monday, 8 June 2026

Does our social capacity decrease as we age, or do we just become more true to ourselves and what fills our tank?

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER

I seem to keep revisiting the concept of social capacity as I get older. I feel like I used to be more of an extravert in my 20's, 30's, and 40's - at least I thought of myself as an extravert back then... but now I wonder if I was just good at putting on a social face and fitting in with whatever was happening. I liked to be busy, I liked having friends, and I liked being included in what was was planned.

Now.... not so much....

SPENDING MY AUTUMN MINDFULLY

Monday, 1 June 2026

Here's what living Autumn with a generous mindset has meant for me.

WHAT DID MY AUTUMN TEACH ME?

I thought I'd do a little seasonal update on what living Mindfully looks like for me through the year ahead. This is my Autumn look back, and for a change I thought I'd share some of the buying and selling I decided to do - mindfully figuring out that it's okay to spend money on things that make me happy after all those years of working hard and saving for a rainy day...

LIFE OFTEN ISN'T ABOUT SMOOTH, STRAIGHT PATHS

Monday, 18 May 2026

Often our biggest successes, and where we find ourselves growing are found in the challenging, unexpected paths that weren't what we'd have chosen.

OUR PATH ISN'T ALWAYS STRAIGHT

When I was younger I assumed that life was a straight path - maybe there'd be a few bumps along the way, and maybe even an occasional small detour, but basically a+b=c and if I made plans and tried my best to control all the variables, I'd end up with a pretty smooth journey.

How wrong I was! Now I've come to see that straight paths appear here and there, but more often it's a spiral, or there's rough terrain to navigate, or it's a dead end...life is definitely not defined by smoothly paved, wide avenues.

4 AREAS WHERE LETTING GO HAS MADE ROOM FOR MORE IN MY LIFE

Monday, 11 May 2026

We need to reassess what's important and let go of some things to make room for more.

LETTING GO IS JUST THE BEGINNING

The first Word Of The Year I ever chose (back in 2015) was "Release" because I felt like I was trying to control my world by holding on too tightly to far too many things. I wanted to be able to free myself from the need to have all my ducks in a row and to allow life to happen to me - rather than always pushing through and wanting to know the ending.

I wanted life to be more about the journey, and less about the destination. But there's more to letting go than the action itself, the second part is what it makes room for in our lives...

SOMETIMES I NEED TO REMEMBER THAT IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT ME

Monday, 27 April 2026

Sometimes we'll encounter people who don't like us. We don't need to prove ourselves, or try to be who we're not - we can let it be okay.

AN UNSETTLING ENCOUNTER

A while back I encountered a woman who I knew by association. She knew some of the people I knew, and I thought that she might be someone I might like to get to know better. How wrong I was...

For some reason, this person chose to cold shoulder me, she wasn't rude or confrontational, she just didn't want to interact with me or engage. It really threw me because I can't remember encountering anyone who was so standoff-ish, so I immediately went into damage control mode. You know what that's like...the inner voice starts nattering away in our head with all the usual questions.

EUSTRESS - LEARNING THAT NOT ALL STRESS IS BAD FOR ME

Monday, 13 April 2026

Eustress is the positive form of stress. It comes from the Greek word "eu," meaning "good," and "stress."

THERE IS MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF STRESS

Recently I've been feeling quite stressed. I can feel it within myself - that unsettledness, the tightness in my chest, my heart beating a bit faster etc. The weird thing is that I'm not under pressure, I'm not dealing with anything upsetting or overwhelming....but I'm still feeling stressed.

What's with that? Well, it turns out that there's more than one type of stress - the negative "distress" that I've always been familiar with (that toxic job being the pinnacle!) and then there's a different kind that my husband told me is called "eustress" - why didn't I know about this?!

3 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT EASTER

Monday, 6 April 2026

I love Easter and this special time of the year - it's like a little open window with a breath of fresh air blowing in.

IT'S EASTER AND THAT MEANS:

I love this special time of the year - it's like a little open window with a breath of fresh air blowing in. Easter gives me space to appreciate my blessings and I thought I'd do a quick post today to share three that came to mind over the last few days....

CHOOSING TO CURATE A MINDFUL MIDLIFE

Monday, 5 January 2026

A mindful Midlife is knowing what my heart, mind, and emotions need for me to live my life well.

A NEW YEAR AND A NEW WORD

I always love the beginning of a new year and choosing a new Word of the Year to direct my thoughts and help me grow more into my true self in this second half of life. As each year draws to a close, I find myself mulling over what my next WOTY will be, and as I allow things to simmer, I find a Word will often bubble to the surface.

That's exactly what happened this time - it came to me early, and it stuck in my head because it clicked in a way that resonated with how I want to approach this year ahead. So, for 2026 I'm embracing the Word:

GOODBYE TO ANOTHER YEAR

Monday, 15 December 2025

It's the middle of December and less than 2 weeks til Christmas. Time to take a blogging break and spend time celebrating the season with my family.

ANOTHER YEAR IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE

We're just back from a delightful week in Albany. We enjoyed it so much in March that we decided to return to our same accommodation (it was perfect for our needs) and relaxed by the beach, wandered around town, stopped at cafes and little shops, and toured around the southern tip of our State.

ANOTHER YEAR OF BLOGGING - FIGURING OUT MIDLIFE IN COMMUNITY

Monday, 1 December 2025

What have I discovered from 11 years of writing a blog?

ANOTHER YEAR OF BLOGGING

Well, another year of blogging just sailed by and I'm pausing for a moment to look back and to appreciate all that blogging brings into my life. 11 years ago when I first Googled "how to start a blog" I never imagined what a blessing it would be to have my little spot on the interwebs.

I'm not even sure what I was hoping to accomplish by starting this journey, but I know I never expected to be here so many years later, and with so many benefits that have come my way...

MY THREE DELIGHTS FROM NOVEMBER

Monday, 24 November 2025

MY NOVEMBER DELIGHTS

As I mentioned at the beginning of January when I chose "Delight" as my Word of the Year, I thought I'd round off each month with three delights. November is my birthday month, my blog's anniversary month, and one of my favourite times of the year.

So, without further ado here are my three delights from November...a group of delightful outings, a birthday delight, and a blogging delight, with a delightful quote to round it all up....

MY THREE DELIGHTS FROM OCTOBER

Monday, 27 October 2025

MY OCTOBER DELIGHTS

As I mentioned at the beginning of January when I chose "Delight" as my Word of the Year, I thought I'd round off each month with three delights. October is school holiday time here in Western Australia - so that means family time for us. It's also Spring, so lots of time outside in the warmth and sunshine - watching nature come bloom.

So, without further ado here are my three delights from October...a family visit delight, a musical delight, and a dabbling delight, with a delightful quote to round it all up....

MY THREE DELIGHTS FROM SEPTEMBER

Monday, 29 September 2025

MY SEPTEMBER DELIGHTS

As I mentioned at the beginning of January when I chose "Delight" as my Word of the Year, I thought I'd round off each month with three delights. September has brought with it a return of the sunshine - the days are getting longer and the rain is less frequent. I love a sunny day where it's not too hot and not too cold - just the right balance. That's delightful in itself.

On top of that, here are my three delights from September...a golden delight, a dating delight, and a blooming delight, with a delightful quote to round it all up....

A QUIET SENSE OF HAPPINESS PERVADING MY LIFE

Monday, 22 September 2025

Midlife has brought me many blessings. One of the most delightful is the sense of peace, and calm, and quiet happiness that pervades me life.

MIDLIFE HAS BROUGHT ME PEACE

Midlife has brought me many blessings, and I have ten years of blog posts to confirm that. One of the most delightful is the sense of peace, and calm, and quiet happiness that pervades my life every day. It's like a little secret joy that I hug to myself when I notice it settling around my shoulders.

For so many years I was focused on pushing forward and keeping all the balls in the air, I didn't have a lot of time for "me". I'd never had huge expectations or big dreams, but I also didn't have the mental space to know whether that was because I didn't want them, or because I was too busy to find time for them. Retirement has given me the time to figure all that out...

MY THREE DELIGHTS FROM AUGUST

Monday, 25 August 2025

MY AUGUST DELIGHTS

As I mentioned at the beginning of January when I chose "Delight" as my Word of the Year, I thought I'd round off each month with three delights. August has been a month of rainy days mixed with a sunshiny day here and there to keep our spirits up. It's also been a month where both of us have been sick with a flu-y virus that has left a lingering cough behind. Give it another week or two and I'm sure we'll be back to full health - and grateful that the cold season is in the rearview mirror.

So, without further ado here are my three delights from August...a family travel delight, a family combined birthday delight, and a family member delight, with a delightful quote to round it all up....