WomenBloom held a midlife reinvention discussion group here in Austin on May 12.  We had a large group of engaged, fascinating women that evening talking about everything from their own reinvention aspirations to how to find the courage to take the first small steps towards a future that fits the woman they are becoming.

One of our Bloomers in attendance, Suzann Madeley, was inspired to write this thoughtful piece on some of her thoughts following the meeting.

When I told a friend about Tuesday’s Reinventing Yourself evening, one of the specific stories I mentioned was a women who’s getting a divorce after a very long marriage.  My friend’s reply was, “You’d think if you’d been married that long, you’d just stay with it, no matter what.”  Since we were both in the presence of our long-time husbands, I decided no response was the better part of valor.

I’ve thought a lot about this conversation since then.  I try to imagine what it must feel like to embark on such an entirely new chapter of life at “our age”.  Totally scary!  But in the midst of that fright, there must be at least a little spark of excitement - excitement about what might be just around the corner.  No, not a man - but a feeling of freedom - the anticipation of being empowered to take whatever path or turn that might come along.

I have no idea what the circumstances of this long-time marriage gone bad might be, but I am filled with admiration for this woman who, by choice or not, has taken the first baby steps toward discovering her new self.

Suzann Madeley is a wife, mother, grandmother, full-time state employee (retired/rehired), inventor, crafter, lover of food, lover of life.

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