Mid-life Plot Twist

Men have a midlife crisis and buy a swanky car. Women uproot their lives.

Turning forty has a uniquely terrifying hit for women: hormones are blowing up for the second time in our lives.

Was this the inspiration for me to rewrite my life? Or was the urge to write brewing deep inside, waiting for the forty catalyst to set fire.

Thinking back at early twenties me, she should have started writing. Fresh out of college, she was struggling in an over-saturated market. Who knew teaching would leave her starving? I wish she had sat down to write. Write herself out of an abusive relationship. Write herself out of the depression that trapped her in place. But she was too afraid.

Early thirties me, still hadn’t figured it out. Now a military wife, her career was now bouncing between schools as they bounced around the country. If she had written, would she have found some calm before she entered her next chapter, motherhood. Would she have taken that step with more confidence, not dissolving completely into the role?

Now, early-forties me is writing for them and every other complex version of myself. Some days the work feels insurmountable. It will never be good enough. I wonder if I can ever make it as good as it deserves to be. To be the book that someone will love.

But the secret sauce of forty is knowing the payoff isn’t just the potential royalties cheque. It’s for the first time in forty years I’m listening to myself and trusting my instincts.

I may be starting out late, but I have a lot more complex things to say than my twenty-year-old self. Plus, let’s face it, who doesn’t love a daring second act.