Solitude. I am craving it right now. I think this is because I’m in a stage of transition and unknowing. When I’m alone, I get to think and not know. It is here where I remember that the unknowing is okay. I am a planner (surprise surprise!) so this not knowing and not having a super practical plan (by my past standards) is not something I’m very familiar/comfortable with. I have a mug I bought last summer during my month in Seattle with the boys that says, “Great things never came from comfort zones.” I’m out of my comfort zone, growing and stretching and getting ready for the next great thing!

During my mid-life pause, it is very important to me to take advantage of my time. Such a gift it is! I’m not taking it for granted! So I took the time on a gorgeous morning yesterday to head out on my bike. I’ve rode these trails at all different seasons in my life starting in high school. I’ve always found comfort in riding and fell in love with the trails that were down the street from our home in Seattle as well. (Riding along the shores of Lake Washington in the light of a cool, crisp morning is second to none!) Yesterday, however, I decided to go on a different trail. One I haven’t spent time on before – not worried about getting lost. I feel lost at so many other spots in my life all too often – being a parent, wife, sister, daughter, friend, business woman. This morning I will have a map to help me find my way back should I get too lost. But the other times I feel lost – no map. It is in those times that I turn to reading, meditation, talking, hiking, riding my bike alone, exploring France on foot, taking a solo trip to Europe (what?!). I will find my new path eventually but this one is pretty great too and I’m enjoying the scenery along the way! #midlifepause

p.s. Find out more about my mid-life pause here 🙂

(originally published Sept. 20, 2019)