The Phases of Our Lives

“It’s just a phase,” I would hear my mother say to her friend on the phone. As teenagers, my sister and I had no idea how much we put our mother through and while she says now we were just fabulous, I know the teen years are far from it.

With a teen of my own, I get to experience several phases at once: the remembering phase (“God, was I like that?”); the mothering phase (“Because I said so.”); the daughtering phase (“Mom, I am so sorry if I ever, ever said something like that to you.”); and the mid-life phase (“What do I want out of  life?”).

All that rolled into one makes for some interesting times.

A friend of mine once told me I could choose how to view this phase of parenting: as either a gift or a curse. I have chosen to look at it as an opportunity of self-discovery as I witness my children grow into the people they will become.

Whether you have children or not, we all go through phases in our lives. Sometimes we are up; sometimes we are down. Sometimes we are suspended on a tightrope, daring ourselves not to look down.

While work-life balance experts will tell you that equilibrium is the goal, I disagree. Alignment with your truest purpose, and all the hills and valleys, are what you are here to experience. So what if you topple off that balance beam? Maybe it’s just what you needed to get a different perspective.

When we take back our lives with clarity and vision, those valleys seem less frightening. Grab yourself some sentries in the form of friends and loved ones who will stand by you in stormy times. Reach out when you need it. We all deserve that kind of support.

Do it with love. Do it shamelessly. Hug out the pain until it slides back into the shadows.

We’ve got this life, broken down into units of time. Take it all. It’s yours.

 

2 Comments

  1. Melissa Curran

    August 9, 2012 at 11:07 am

    How true about all the phases! My mother also said nothing last forever – meaning bad times OR good times so I know that if I’m in a slump of sorts, it will eventually pass. I’ve gone back and apologized many times to mom for all the goofy things I did! LOL Thanks for a terrific post! Melissa

  2. Willow Drinkwater

    August 10, 2012 at 3:08 am

    Yes, the picture says it all.

    It’s all about landing on your feet in the end, dusting yourself off and saying, “I survived. I did it. I am me.”

    As that old Indian proverb says: “It will all work out in the end, and if it doesn’t, it isn’t the end.”

    Beautifully written post! I love you, Christine.

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