Month: July 2017

Happy Independence Day!

     I hope that everyone has a happy and joy-filled holiday weekend!
The idea of independence got me thinking. Not only because of July 4th but also because I have three children who are living the desire for independence, hampered by the realities of economics. Independence is a tricky thing. Somedays we want it, completely, and other days we just want a place to belong, to feel that we can be ourselves, and truly be at home.
     Home is a powerful symbol: Home—the idea of a true place of rest—where you are accepted for who you are, and loved unconditionally. In reality, Home is often a messy, crazy, emotion-filled place of the psyche. It is as different for every one of us as we are different from each other. For the young, it can be a place to launch from, or to abandon asap, or a sometimes, too safe, place, that holds you back from growth and development. For those of us who are in midlife or older, it can be a sacred place, where our families grew, a place of refuge from the world, or a place stuffed full of memories that feel increasingly hollow and empty.
     The drive to leave home, to be independent, to strike out on one’s own, in order to find your fortune, your personal adventure, is as old as human culture itself. There are two times in our life cycle that are tailor-made for launching into adventure, self-exploration, and re-creation; the first is adolescence / young adulthood and the second is Midlife. It is possible to re- create yourself at midlife. Whether it’s a new career, owning your own business, a creative project, a divorce, a new relationship, a move, or personal growth, midlife is a built in time of re-assessment, remembering and re-creation on the treasure map of human personal development. Do you feel the call toward independence from what was? Take the leap, a new adventure awaits.
Sailing