What's in a mid-life crisis? That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet...
Okay, okay, maybe Ro and Julie were not suffering from a mid-life crisis, but their case of teen-aged crazies was obviously worse. And like those silly star-crossed adolescents, my husband and I are also determined to have control in the way our own story ends.
As newlyweds of 4 years our outlook on life is a little different than most couples our age (52 and 53). The remaining house chicks are almost all grown and our responsibilities are beginning to lighten. We have awakened to the possibility of a whole different lifestyle, one that we create for ourselves with pieces of both old and new dreams; no poison or daggers necessary.
The opportunity to relocate to a less-populated area, one that is overflowing with natural beauty and odd quirky natives seems just over the horizon. We feed our dream with how-to books for building an off-the-grid adobe home, complete with a catchment system and solar energy. We study the old ways of living off the land; devour any and all histories of the place we want to call home.
Some folks buy big shiny Harley's; some find joy in a super-rigged bass boat. A lot will work themselves to death trying to "keep up with the Joneses", refusing to ever break the chains, and a few, like ourselves, will venture into a more unconventional lifestyles. Sure there is always fear when contemplating such a big change; will we have enough money, what about healthcare and unforeseen illness? All good questions, they pose possible detours, but not full-fledged roadblocks, hopefully. Perhaps my husband and I do possess the naïveté attributed to the Boomer generation, but I don't see that as a negative trait, rather it can be very emancipating.
Boomers may not have invented the "grand climacteric", but to quote the imaginative Mr. Lennon: "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one...".
Metamorphoses, transubstantiation, permutation - a rose by any other name...
Who Is Cowtown Pattie?
- Cowtown Pattie
- I was Lillie Langtry in another life, and might have a crush on Calamity Jane.
9 comments:
This is one of my all-time favorites of your posts. Keep on dreaming - I have no doubt you'll attain them.
"You only live once."
Who said that, anyway.
bill
prairie point
"Off the grid" is my dream, too. Of course, I'm at the tail end of the Boomer gen, so score one more for pleasant naïveté.
Spooky - thanks! Keep those fingers crossed.
Bill - I think it was a dude named Ian Fleming? Nah, he said "twice".
WP- One scored, my man. Come on down to Tejas and build with us!
I can much more closely relate to your dream than those of so many others of our generation. And if you want help/ideas for an off-grid home, my step-sister built one (with her own hands, out of straw bales) outside of Austin, completely self-sufficient...it's beautiful! Dream on. :-)
You're never too old to dream -- don't ever stop. So many possibilities for simple but environmentally self-sufficent housing. Let your creative juices flow. Yeah, that matter of health care is problematic, but expect you'll consider that well and any other considerations.
You go, girl...and remember, when you get that puppy built, Midland is the place to go for supplies, and blogger friendship!!
I'm not sure as if age is necessarily the main factor in determining when it's time to change one's lifestyle. My wife and I are just a few years younger than you and your husband yet we haven't even begun to think about moving on to another stage. Most likely, we'll continue in much the same way for at least another decade.
Just keep in mind that oldies need more medical care, so don't stray so far that they don't have any antiseptic at the local hospital. :-)
- T-bone
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