IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN AGAIN

 

In Julia Cameron’s new book It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again she talks about how, as people shift gears from busy careers to a creative life, they are free to explore avenues of endeavor that have been previously stymied by other responsibilities.  As people live longer, they are looking for new ways to be fulfilled with some kind of meaningful achievement.  This could be anything from a rewarding second career that utilizes abilities accumulated over a lifetime, to taking time to write, paint, study music, or find ways in which to help others that they never had time for before.  I feel very fortunate to be ahead of the curve in this endeavour, as my life at sixty is opening up in ways I could never have imagined ten years ago.

SEARCHING FOR MEANING:

Writing has been an important aspect of my life for as long as I can remember.  I’ve kept a journal for years, and during high school, I wrote short stories for my own pleasure.  It wasn’t until I quit my job at the library to stay home with the children, that I started to search for something that was separate from child care.  It began with one evening a week writing with pen and paper, and then when the children both went off to school, I remember shutting the door of my house after dropping them both off to school and asking myself, “Now what do I do?”  Then one day I got an idea for a story that led into a book that further expanded into learning how to use a computer and taking correspondence courses in writing. 

I AM NOT A WRITER:

Throughout the years I had a vague idea that I would someday be a published author.  But at that point I had a very difficult time even telling people I was a writer because it didn’t seem like a real profession to me.  This, despite the fact that I worked diligently on my first novel and strove to improve myself through courses.  I didn’t get paid you see, so not a real writer. While there was a bit of a hiatus in the midst of my writing life, its siren song always called me back. It’s as though the universe knew what I didn’t:   I have something worthwhile to share.  And that something, I believe, is my desire to be of service to people in general, and women in particular.

FINDING MEANING:  

 By the time my children both went off to university, coupled with the fact that I was turning fifty at the time, I found myself once again looking for something to give my life meaning.  I found that meaning, once again, through my writing. 

You know how they always say to write what you know?  What I didn’t realize at the time was that, what I know about is what it means to be a woman.  What I didn’t fully realize is that the phases of a woman’s journey are universal.  Sure, men and women are both searching for meaning – that is, to understand our role in the scheme of things.  But being a woman, I have a woman’s perspective, and that’s what I like to write about. And that is the gift I can share with the world.

BE THE LIGHT YOU WISH TO SEE:

Looking back, I think that I was always heading in this direction.  I spent years studying spirituality, and this is a perspective that repeatedly turns up in my writing, as it does in my everyday dealings with people.  In fact, I’m not sure that I would have connected with my writer friend, Justin Teeuwen, if he hadn’t seen what he called, “a light” in me.  I believe that light came from a desire to want to be of service to other women through my writing.

Things really came together when I had a dream of creating a women's retreat. It was a way to actually guide real life women through life's transitions, much like the heroine's in my books. This enabled me to combine my writing life with helping women in a practical way. Once I knew what I wanted, the right people came into my life to not only be able to bring my retreat idea to life, but to be introduced to a networking group that helped me to share what I do with a group of women who support each other to make their dreams come true.

Now, at sixty seven,  I feel like my career as a writer is really opening up.  There’s no telling where things will go from here.

IT STARTS WITH A SINGLE STEP:

So, life really can begin again at sixty.  I’m living proof of that.  Don’t let age stop you from realizing all of your dreams.  Begin with a single step and see how it feels.  Then take another and another, then before you know it, you will be on your way to creating a whole new life for yourself.