Why Second Half?
94 ÷ 2 = two half lives, according to me
None of us know when it’s our turn to go. My two sisters and I have always claimed that we will outlive everyone in our family, especially the men. A boastful claim? Maybe. Derived from facts? We think so.
As I passed my 47th birthday last September, I started to feel unmistakably alive again. Familiar childhood feelings sprang up: curiosity and hopefulness. My visionary spirit arose out and beyond the dregs of day to day survival where it had been squirreled away for quite some time. I felt almost reborn and deeply inquisitive about all the things my future life had to offer. Strolling into my 48th trip around the sun, I pondered the abundant lives which both of my grandmothers lived throughout each of their 94 years. Quick mental math of their passing age revealed that I could possibly have a complete half to go! That realization lit me on fire!! I now figure that I must live as though I have another 47 exquisite years to do what I need to do here! I believe that particular awareness gave me a renewed energy, a fresh hope, and a peek into a splendid unfolding horizon.
Grandma Superstars
I am so fortunate to have my grandmothers as strong women role models. My maternal grandmother’s parents immigrated to the United States from Switzerland in 1906. Bessie Martha Glauser Alvord Davis, born in 1913, was their second child. Being the oldest daughter of 8 children, she was given a great deal of responsibility. Amongst the many homemaking skills she developed and perfected, Grandma Bessie also worked as a model in Hollywood, a glasses technician for optical companies, and in the records department at the county clerk's office. She built her own retirement and provided for herself and her family of 4 children after her first husband passed away at a young age. Grandma Bessie outlived two husbands and a long time boyfriend. The story goes that although the boyfriend was younger than her, and all the women in the community loved him, he begged her to marry him. She refused. Independent into her 90’s, grandma didn’t want to take care of another man. Ha! Grandma Bessie kept an impeccably clean house and I always remember her wearing lipstick and smelling very nice. I wanted to be just like her.
My paternal grandmother was very smart and on her tallest day stood 4’10.” Chlo Olive Anderson Affleck’s family hailed from Norway and England. She learned hard work being raised in a two room farmhouse with 9 other siblings. By the time she was a teenager they moved into a large newly built home with all the modern amenities which included a telephone with a 3 digit phone number. Neighbors from all around often stopped in to make calls. Chlo was an educated and capable woman who worked as an elementary school teacher and cared for their first child alone for three years while her husband was away in WWII. Bearing six children in all, she was a master gardener and provided crops enough to feed her family, with need only for a small amount of purchased groceries. Outliving her husband by 18 years, she was financially independent. Very thoughtful, Grandma sent a $5 check to me (and all the grandchildren) every birthday - even into my adult years. In the mornings you could catch grandma hustling down the lane on her exercise walk. She would swing her arms and stride her little legs with a purpose in that humongous sun hat. The doctor assured her that those walks added years and years onto her life. Grandma Chlo’s whole face lit when she smiled. Her light will be etched into my brain forever.
What’s your definition of Second Half?
Reflecting on these women’s lives has caused me to think: if both of my grandmothers lived through life’s challenges with poise, integrity and grit until age 94, well then I can too! This is why I’ve named this publication: Second Half Chronicles. We all have our own description of what the Second Half of our lives is and when it starts. Many endure a traumatic experience - more than a human should have to sustain. Coming out the other side of that might mark the beginning of a Second Half - no matter the age. Our Second Half is a different age and different experience for everyone. Some, like me, have an awakening which defines or deems their Second Half beginning. Do they call this a midlife crisis? Maybe, but who really cares. I’d like to put a positive spin on it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been through some very difficult changes, trials and down times. Many days and moments I have wanted to crawl into bed and put my head under the covers forever. I think that is what makes this notion so beautiful. I can take all that I’ve learned from those undesirable situations and use that information to my advantage. In my Second Half, I’ve allowed my creative and inventive side to come out of hibernation and I am having so much fun with it. I look forward to where it will take me over the next 20-30 years.
If both of my grandmothers lived through life’s challenges with poise, integrity and grit until age 94, well then I can too! This is why I’ve named this publication: Second Half Chronicles.
Of course we really don’t know when it’s our time to go, and some leave this earth many years sooner than any of us feel is fair. We cannot tell the future from disease and accidents…but we can’t hide out and be scared. For those of us who have the privilege of living longer, can we give ourselves the forward-looking perspective that life does not end at 40? That idea needs to be squashed! My sisters and I have lots of havoc to wreak! Can we be confident that we have something important to live for in our Second Half? What’s the harm in celebrating the Second Half - whatever your definition may be?
Let’s interact: How do you define your Second Half? Leave a comment below!
All so true! And complete!
All my role models :)