Brookfield Wannabe

Yeah, right. 

I will be turning 41 in a few days.  Turning 40 sucked.  Turning 41?  Pretty much sucks too.  But as they say, it's better than the alternative.

Once you hit 40, there is no escaping it -- you are middle-aged, baby.  And now I finally understand the "Mid-Life Crisis".

It's like juggling. 

In your late teens and twenties, and maybe even thirties, you set certain "life goals" for yourself. Those goals are the "balls."  In your twenties, you finish school and get your career going.  So, your job is the first ball that you have to keep in the air. 

Then, you add the second ball -- maybe that's marriage or simply a relationship or maybe even just owning your own home.  Now, you've got two balls going. 

Then, in your thirties, children -- that's worth at least two more balls.  If you're like me and have an aging parent or parents who need help, that's another ball.

Then, you hit 40 and you feel a little lost because you're not reaching towards anything anymore.  Your life is more about just keeping those balls in the air.

That is when the crisis strikes, and you consider dyeing your ever-encroaching gray hair and buying a black, convertible Porsche Carrera Cabriolet, so that at least you can look good and drive a hot car while you juggle all those darn balls. 

But really, is there any age that is the "golden" age?

Based on what I remember and what I've observed with my stepdaughter, being a teenager is certainly no walk in the park -- hormones, acne, braces, high school drama.

21 maybe?  At 21, I was still in school and living at home.  Money? Well, not much to speak of.  Love life?  Had a boyfriend, but he wasn't much to speak of either in retrospect. 

30?  Living in an apartment but still in early stages of career -- meaning I was working like a dog while being low man on the law firm totem pole.  Broke up with aforementioned boyfriend and had to start dating (!!) again.  

Every age of life has its ups and downs.  Middle-age is maybe not so much about moving forward as it is about learning to enjoy what we've accomplished.  And those balls that we juggle?  Those aren't things that drag us down; they are things that we should value and be proud of.

The moral of this story?

In living life, you gotta have balls. :-)

I have to thank Karen Waldkirch from WauwatosaNow for turning me on to the book Not Quite What I was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous & Obscure.  The idea for this compilation is based on a legend.  Supposedly, someone challenged Ernest Hemmingway to write a story in six words.  This is what he came up with:

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

I know.  Blows you away, doesn't it?  So, based on this legend, SMITH Magazine invited its readers to submit their own six-word memoirs, and the result is this fascinating book.  Here are some of my favorites.

"Revenge is living well, without you." -- Joyce Carol Oates

"Veni, vedi, but haven't vici yet." -- Meenakshi Nandini

"I still make coffee for two." -- Zak Nelson

"Girlfriend is pregnant, my husband said." -- Shonna MacDonald

"I live the perfect imperfect life." -- Paul Lore

The book is a quick read, and I was amazed at what people were able to come up with.  Side-splittingly funny, heart-breakingly poignant, jaw-droppingly shocking -- it's all there.

What would mine be?  Well, I've been mulling that one over since finishing the book.  Although I'm not sure it quite hits the nail on the head, here's what I've come up with so far:

 
"Still trying to find my purpose."

 
It's still a work in progress.  (Hey, that's six words too.  Maybe I should use that?)
 

SMITH is still accepting submissions if you want to give it a try.  (Or if anybody wants to share theirs here, feel free to comment.)