Midlife Traditions

Midlife traditions, Father-Son Traditions. Traditions are simply one more way to be mindful of all we have to be thankful for.  Here’s the second of seven Father Son traditions, from November 18.

“One, two, three.”

Through the years, I’ve met people who do things that capture my attention. Little things usually.  Seemingly insignificant actually.  Some are not good and others are brilliant.

This one is from Leslie (her real name).  She and her daughter had a tradition that was easy to do and could be creativity extended beyond their particular use.

Leslie would gently, and randomly, squeeze her daughter’s hand – first one time, pause, then twice, pause, then finally three times.  This meant, “I – Love – You.”

After initiating this when our son was about two years old, I started to experiment with other ways:

  • Blink once, pause, blink twice, pause, blink three times
  • With a hand resting on his knee, squeezing it the same as his hand
  • Hugging, the same process
  • Using fingers – hold up one finger, then two, then three
  • Writing a note, “1 – 2 – 3”

The beauty of these is in their simplicity and repeatability. That’s the secret to a lasting midlife tradition.

Mid Life Creativity

Do you ever have moments, seasons, or even longer stages of life where you question many things? Or maybe you find yourself lost and confused. Or, overwhelmed.

Mid Life creativity is critical in moving from a mid life crisis to a mid life celebration.  Several times yesterday, I thought about it being Monday. Monday is “Twistee Treat Day”.  And so is Friday.

Seemingly insignificant, or trivial, at first glance, isn’t it?

You see, as a mid-life father of a nine-year old, in many ways, I was a “fish out of water” when our son was born.

What to do, right?  Well, it seemed like a good idea to find small ways to create lasting memories (traditions).

Perhaps the main reason this is challenging for me is because, when I tried to recall these things with my Dad and my Grandfather, I was coming up empty.  Both men loved me and I loved them.

I just simply don’t remember any special things that we did together.

Tomorrow I’ll share a creative mid-life list of some of the things that are so simple, and yet so significant, that they will last  life time.  Who wouldn’t want that?