This blog entry brings more on one of my favourite concepts to ponder -- liminality While pondering this yesterday and today, I realized that I thought I'd traversed the no man's land that opened up when I retired. It seems, though, that I landed somewhere livable in the middle of the liminal space. Here I stand only part way across the space.
This shouldn't be surprising since life involves growth and development through the entirety. Without that we'd stagnate. It feels like the spot I found in the middle of the journey was only a resting spot and I didn't move further thinking it was the destination. That explains some of the experiences of feeling lost and missing big parts of self identity. Early into the retirement process, the pandemic arrived, which made the rest stop appear as a safe space to weather that storm. As we move from pandemic to endemic disease states, many of us have discovered the desire to move forward again. This pondering reminded me of a meme I'd seen a while ago -- "Last year she survived. This year, she will live." Moving from the survival mode puts change front and centre. Metaphorically, the change to living mode means stepping away from the rest stop and back into the great unknown as I move to the expected retirement state of being. Continuing this journey will be challenging, as is any major life change. It will be worthwhile. Staying where I am will only enhance the discomfort and anxiety -- like being stuck alone on a desert island -- the first few days will feel positive due to being able to rest, but the rescue process must continue. So, here I am -- the transition continues.
Lyrics from a country song fit the thoughts of living vs. surviving and the journey to a balance that favours living. Several lines fit my personal journey where some days are better than other days and some times of day are better than others. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Living -- Dierks Bentley
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