Mid-Life Crisis
I feel as if I am at a crossroads in my life. I wonder if it's where I'm at in my life. Is this feeling simply a reaction to my age? I am about to turn 40 (AARRRGGHHH!!!), my parents just retired, and my daughter will become a teenager this summer. I feel a strong desire to change, evolve.
I have come a long way over the first "half" of my life.
I am still organizationally challenged, but I am much neater and cleaner than I used to be. I used to be a horrible slob. I still am messy, but now have the desire to create a home that is a place of peace. An oasis in the rush of my life. And in my family's life. I'm getting there. I've recently done a sort of makeover in my home office. It still isn't perfect, but it has become a place that I really enjoy. I painted one wall elektra blue as an accent wall, put in some organizational cubes. My favorite things about that room are that I created a U-shaped work area with the organizational cubes as the short end of the U, and I created a little reading area. I even have a sewing space. Oh! And above the window, the word CREATE is spelled out in funky white wooden letters. Talk about an inspirational space.
I feel as if I need to do some "redecorating" personally, too. I have never been good at (a) spending money on myself, or (b) picking out clothing. I look at magazines, but don't know how to translate what's on the page to my own wardrobe and body. So, I took a chance and signed up for a personal profile from Missus Smartypants. If you are having the problem with your own wardrobe, give her website a try. I got my first profile last weekend, then took my profile shopping. My first stop was the resale shop, where I found a Liz Claiborne twin set that was similar to one of the tops on my profile. I got it for $6! Woo-hooo! Then I went to the mall where I found a pair of ballet flats, a belt, and a necklace/earring set similar to the ones in my profile. I ended up putting together a nearly entire outfit (I already had the black pants) for $56. I never would have believed it. I've also purchased two more tops from the profile. Got one off the clearance rack for $4.80! I've used suggestions from my profile every day but one this week - and I got compliments every day from co-workers . . . and even from my boss! It seems so odd to think that it really is OK to spend money on me. I felt so guilty for spending that much money on myself. I've struggled with it all week long. But when I consider how much I have already improved my wardrobe - and my self-image - with only a few pieces of clothing, I realize that it really is worth it. That I'm worth it. I think I'm going to give myself a gift for my birthday - a haircut, a manicure, and a makeup consultation. I think it's time to update my entire look. And what better time to do it than my 40th birthday?
Wow. That sounds so old. Yikes! Am I really that old? <shiver>
The other thing I've done is to start contributing to an IRA. Seeing my parents retire has inspired me to start thinking about the future. My hubby has been contributing for several years now. I'm excited about looking at the mutual funds and how they're doing. The economy scares me now, but that's what's exciting about the stock market. Now is the time to buy. I wish we had more extra money so we could buy up stock like mad right now. But times are tough. Gas prices are up, grocery prices are up, and my hubby is dealing with a slowdown at work. so our belt has been tightened.
So . . . why should you care about my personal crisis? I want you to think about your own personal situation. Look at your space, then look in the mirror. Are you liking what you see? Or are you seeing the same thing you saw 10 years ago? Is that what you want to see, or is it time to update?
And, if you have struggled with a mid-life crisis, how have you dealt with it?
Elle
I have come a long way over the first "half" of my life.
I am still organizationally challenged, but I am much neater and cleaner than I used to be. I used to be a horrible slob. I still am messy, but now have the desire to create a home that is a place of peace. An oasis in the rush of my life. And in my family's life. I'm getting there. I've recently done a sort of makeover in my home office. It still isn't perfect, but it has become a place that I really enjoy. I painted one wall elektra blue as an accent wall, put in some organizational cubes. My favorite things about that room are that I created a U-shaped work area with the organizational cubes as the short end of the U, and I created a little reading area. I even have a sewing space. Oh! And above the window, the word CREATE is spelled out in funky white wooden letters. Talk about an inspirational space.
I feel as if I need to do some "redecorating" personally, too. I have never been good at (a) spending money on myself, or (b) picking out clothing. I look at magazines, but don't know how to translate what's on the page to my own wardrobe and body. So, I took a chance and signed up for a personal profile from Missus Smartypants. If you are having the problem with your own wardrobe, give her website a try. I got my first profile last weekend, then took my profile shopping. My first stop was the resale shop, where I found a Liz Claiborne twin set that was similar to one of the tops on my profile. I got it for $6! Woo-hooo! Then I went to the mall where I found a pair of ballet flats, a belt, and a necklace/earring set similar to the ones in my profile. I ended up putting together a nearly entire outfit (I already had the black pants) for $56. I never would have believed it. I've also purchased two more tops from the profile. Got one off the clearance rack for $4.80! I've used suggestions from my profile every day but one this week - and I got compliments every day from co-workers . . . and even from my boss! It seems so odd to think that it really is OK to spend money on me. I felt so guilty for spending that much money on myself. I've struggled with it all week long. But when I consider how much I have already improved my wardrobe - and my self-image - with only a few pieces of clothing, I realize that it really is worth it. That I'm worth it. I think I'm going to give myself a gift for my birthday - a haircut, a manicure, and a makeup consultation. I think it's time to update my entire look. And what better time to do it than my 40th birthday?
Wow. That sounds so old. Yikes! Am I really that old? <shiver>
The other thing I've done is to start contributing to an IRA. Seeing my parents retire has inspired me to start thinking about the future. My hubby has been contributing for several years now. I'm excited about looking at the mutual funds and how they're doing. The economy scares me now, but that's what's exciting about the stock market. Now is the time to buy. I wish we had more extra money so we could buy up stock like mad right now. But times are tough. Gas prices are up, grocery prices are up, and my hubby is dealing with a slowdown at work. so our belt has been tightened.
So . . . why should you care about my personal crisis? I want you to think about your own personal situation. Look at your space, then look in the mirror. Are you liking what you see? Or are you seeing the same thing you saw 10 years ago? Is that what you want to see, or is it time to update?
And, if you have struggled with a mid-life crisis, how have you dealt with it?
Elle
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