A boss once said to me, “Everybody gets to an age where they realize that what they really want to do with their life is do the same stuff that interested them in high school.”
“Oh,” I thought, “another midlife crisis thing. Sure glad I’m 25.” And then my eyes glazed over.
Well, I’m not 25 anymore, and I now know that he was absolutely right. People get to an age – somewhere –ahem – north of 25 – and they want to rediscover what made them tick as a kid.
Think about it – your interests as a child are so pure. You don’t become interested in something because it is “good for you.” Or because “you have to.” Or “should.” When you beg your parents to sign you up for something, it’s because want to do it. Period. Against a childhood backdrop of freedom and endless possibilities, you seek out activities that reflect your true inner passions.
Then life intervenes. As an adult, you need to spend a lot of time doing things that fulfill certain obligations, expectations, pressures. And sometimes you get too busy doing “shoulds” to do the things that once brought you joy.
But for many of us, there comes a time when a little voice inside reminds us of what we used to love. Maybe we hear it because we hate our job. Maybe we hear it because we feel we have lost some of our spark. Maybe we hear it because our kids are grown and we realize that we have free time for the first time in years.
I have so many friends who are now revisiting the passions they had as kids. Making career switches, rediscovering hobbies, returning their focus to longtime interests. My 25 year old self might pity them for having a midlife crisis, but my 46 year old self understands. It may be midlife, but it’s not a “crisis.” They don’t want to be kids again. Nope. They just want to be themselves again.
My inner voice made itself known when my youngest started school and I finally had a little more “free” time on my hands. “What do you REALLY like to do?” it asked. And I answered.
When I was a kid, any free time I had was spent playing sports, reading or writing. Other than hanging with friends, those three interests composed the trifecta of a Perfect Day. And I realized that I had spent far too long without those three interests being a regular part of my daily life.
So, during the past few years, I have rediscovered sports – running, of course, but also pick-up soccer leagues, road races, golf tournaments, duathlons, bike rides, Warrior Dashes, Spartan Sprints. I have made time for reading every day (maybe I’m reading while waiting in the school pick-up line instead of curled up in the branches of a tree on a lazy summer afternoon, but, hey, the joy that reading brings me hasn’t changed). And through blogging, I have found a way to write regularly. Rekindling my interests has made me feel, well, like me again. And it sure is great to have me back.
Think about what you loved to do as a kid. Then, if at all possible, do it again. You won’t regret it.