Right now, in this very moment, in this space and time where you live and breathe – are you the woman you want to be? When you were younger, did you give thought to who you wanted to be in the coming decades? When the time comes, will you blossom? Are you REliving midlife to the fullest?

That time is now, but are you that woman?

When we think about our journey through life, how often do we overlook the similarities that we have with our past selves? Sometimes there are things in our past that we’d rather forget, but what about those little idiosyncrasies that are our foundation and paved the way for the women we’ve become?

When it comes to children, we may have more in common with them than we ever realized.

Actress Tasmin Greig (actress, comedian and star of Showtime’s American-British sitcom, Episodes) certainly believes that. Here’s what she has to say about middle aged women:

I’m not sure if Tasmin made this comment after a wild night of carousing and drinking or if she expressed it with the utmost seriousness. I do know one thing, though: the more I read the quote, the more I leaned into it.

While it’s true that children aren’t little adults (even though we sometimes stamp them with adult attributes), there’s a shared set of characteristics that form that common thread between children and midlife women.

Young girls coming of age blossom from prepubescent adolescents on the cusp of womanhood into bona fide woman . . . fully grown. It’s a transition – a metamorphosis – that can be a scary time filled with questions of the unknown.

Midlife women, does this sound familiar?

Simpatico: Children and Midlife Women

Midlife women and children – we’re more alike than we think.  With children . . .

• they’re unsure of their place in the world.
• they’re apprehensive about moving forward.
• the thought of change scares them a little.
• they’re afraid of the monsters under the bed or in the closet.
• they’re growing and evolving.
• their bodies are changing.
• it’s a time for exploration – of the world around them, of others, of self.

I ask once again: does this sound familiar? If not, perhaps you view it with a different perspective. So now I ask, “Do you RElive midlife to the fullest? For you, maybe:

• you’re a little unsure of your place in the world.
• you want to move forward but you’re unsure or hesitant.
• change is a big, scary word to you.
• those monsters that haunt you – the ones from your past, the bullies in life, failed relationships, etc. – frighten you.
• you’re growing and evolving.
• your body is changing.
• it’s about damn time you started exploring – the world around you, others, and yourself.

Of course, this is just one woman’s perspective. I see a lot of similarities between children and midlife women . . . but that sure as hell doesn’t mean the world at large gets to treat us like children!

RElive Midlife to the Fullest

We – midlife women – are wonderful creatures. Just as we picked our way through adolescence into adulthood, we also navigated the waters through our childbearing years into midlife. Despite the scrapes, roadblocks and setbacks, we made it. And now, life goes on.

We shape and mold children into the adults we hope they’ll become. Are we in our second childhood? Well, not exactly, but some may look at it that way. It’s the second big change of life for us. We’ve done it once; we’ll do it again band we’ll get through it.

It’s your life. It’s you midlife. Think like a child and RElive midlife to the fullest.

How are you REliving your life at midlife? Let me know in the comments.