That Fresh Start Feeling
Buy new pens, journals, a sketch book…
We turned the calendar page the other day and on that same day I saw a school bus drive through the neighborhood. My stomach lurched. It’s a familiar feeling that I’ve experienced every year since my children left the nest. Seeing the school bus, the gathering of kids waiting for their pickup, fresh-faced, new backpacks and sneakers...Awaiting the start of their next adventure.
Many of these children are beginning their academic careers, with great anticipation. Starting kindergarten, entering junior high, high school, college, launching their adult lives - all rites of passage that promise possible adventure for some - newness, in any case, which has a way of shaking things up.
In New England the weather changes almost immediately when we turn that calendar page: the days are clearer, the nights are crisper, darkness arrives earlier in the evening. It’s achingly beautiful on many days - the light, the sky a vivid blue... All fuels the melancholy I feel. It gives me pause.
This annual back-to-school ritual is a reminder of the circle of life and of the passage of time. Some of those children that once eagerly stood at the bus stop in anticipation of their first day of school, are now heading off to college, getting their first job, trying life on their own. Parents are left to regroup, reconsider, reframe. Interestingly, those without children have similar feelings at this time of year.
NOW what? Now WHAT? The onset of this season can leave us feeling a little lost, left behind. The world is “open”, ripe with possibility, to all of the fresh-faced youth with decades in front of them but what about those of us who are approaching 60 or navigating our 6th and 7th decades and beyond - what about US? After a summer of doing whatEVER - which can be the very definition of summer in a good way - we may now feel a bit adrift - left with no structure, a blank slate. For some this can be daunting. How are we going to fill our time? Many do just that: they fill their time with various activities, creating life as they go - doing things, but often without any real purpose or intention.
It’s not always comfortable to stop and consider, and deeply contemplate what you want for your life. How DO you want to fill your days? Such an important question to ask oneself but often overlooked, or avoided, purposely or not. Otherwise we drift. We drift aimlessly and greet one day after another, going through the motions of life. Some days are fun and “rich” and when we get to the end of others we may find that the day passed rather unceremoniously, without notice. Nothing “special”. Wasted maybe. And we can’t get it back. I don’t think we really let that soak in because, if we did, many of us would be much more protective of this most valuable and limited resource - TIME.
Lest this all sound rather depressing - let’s flip it! We’ve turned the calendar page. It’s achingly beautiful and we are here to witness and appreciate it and live IN these days. We can adopt a “school-year mentality” where this is a fresh start - the beginning of a new adventure.
Buy new pens, journals, a sketch book... new shoes if you want - all of it. Adopt a good student’s mindset. Start journaling/writing, purposefully planning, researching, MEsearching. Do your homework and embark. Consider this a wonderful opportunity, a time to create a more intentional and fulfilling “next act”.
In years past I reluctantly gave up summer, held on to it as long as I possibly could but… More than ever, this year I am welcoming this season as I feel a need to ramp up my “intentional living”, adopt a student’s curious mindset… Reimagine, reinvent, reinvigorate… I’ve just cleared my desk and I’m ready to GO!!!
How will you greet this season? Please join me in our private fb community to continue the conversation and take steps towards creating your Next Act! I’d love to connect!
If you’re interested in working with a coach to support, encourage and guide you to discover or enhance your Next Act, I’d love to work with you! Please see my coaching tab to learn more.