Tag: Boomer

Mid-Life Parenting

I’m a mid-life parent.

My wife and I have been married 26 years and we have an 8-year old son.

This morning we are headed to one of his doctors, a Gastroenterologist.

Just before his 4th birthday, and right after we returned from our summer vacation, we started to notice some unusual physical complications.

We tested him for many things.  Leukemia, IBD, JRA, etc.

A litany of blood tests and x-rays, including a barium x-ray and a full-body scan (45-minute x-ray).  Specialists.  Challenges.  Screaming.  Worry.  Despair.  Hope.  Faith.  Love.

He also had three colonoscopies between his 4th and 5th birthdays.

Anyway, one of the benefits of having a blog is that you can write what you feel, when you feel like it.

I just did.

Hope you have a great Tuesday.  Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

Happy Mid-Life Birthday jeff noel

June 8, 1959.

Happy Mid-Life Birthday jeff noel.

Finally.  It’s here.  The Big 5-0.

In everything give thanks.  That’s common wisdom in some circles. Certainly in my circles.

I’m celebrating in many ways, big and small.

Check out Lane 8 for one of the big ways.

And in small ways, I celebrate the start of each day.  Quietly, in the dark, and, on my knees, I begin each day with my three favorite prayers.

“We come to understand the true meaning of our birthday, when we learn to celebrate it everyday”.  —jeff noel

Mid-Life Irritation?

Mid-Life Irritation?

Yep.

Seriously?

Of course.  Getting older, our body isn’t the same as it was.  It’s easier to get hurt.  Easier to have physical limitations.  It’s called the aging process.

It can also happen mentally, spiritually, financially.

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves”.  — Carl Jung

Like yesterday’s post, this is a reminder for me.  

Reminders, I believe, need to happen everyday.  And sometimes, all day.

We get distracted very easily as adults. 

Overwhelmed with life.

Overworked.

Over committed.

You name it, it’s easy to let go of the important, in order to medicate ourselves with the urgent.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

I never said what I post here would be obvious.  Sometimes what you read here will require you to reread it and even spend some time reflecting on it.  Or not.

Choice is yours.  Always has been.  Always will be.  Happy choosing and carpe diem, jeff noel  🙂

Mid-Life Opponent?

Mid-Life Opponent?

Yes!

It’s ourselves.

Ourselves?  Yes!

“By listening steadfastly to your opponent, you will discover your own shadow”.  — unknown

I am all too aware that what challenges me with others, is most likely my biggest blind spot for myself.

I commit the same “sins”, but am completely unaware of it.

I recognize that this is a tough concept to grasp for many people.  If you get this concept, you get it.  If you don’t, you’ll think this concept is a bunch of garbage.

It’s pretty scary to think that what annoys us about some individuals, is the same behavior we demonstrate to others.  But we are completely oblivious to it.

This is one of the reasons the word hypocrite was invented.

Anyway, I just wanted to say all that, to remind myself that being a good and decent person is incredibly hard work.

It’s work I accept willingly, and gladly endeavor to change, even at mid-life.

Have a GREAT weekend.  Carpe diem, jeff  🙂

Mid Life Dog Days?

Mid Life Dog Days?

“You may drive a dog off the King’s chair, and it will climb into the preacher’s pulpit;  he views the world unmoved, unembarrassed, unabashed”.  — Jean De La Bruyere

With Summer nearly here, and a mid life crisis happening right now, or sometime soon, wouldn’t it be nice to have the audacity of a dog?

Carpe diem my audacious mid life companions.  jeff noel  🙂