Turning 50 means staring down the barrel of 25 solid years left. It’s pretty much downhill after that unless modern medicine gets futuristic in a hurry. Talking to the future Mrs. Talislegger today reminded me that we don’t have a legitimate plan in place for what those years look like. I think I go through this every fall–realizing that my life has hit a pause button reflected by the snapshots of where my kids are, and how I get into the pause of life that some of them are living. Heck, I even sent the youngest a meme a few weeks ago arguing that you cannot be the main character in your life if you’re doomscrolling and sitting in front of a screen all day. Yet, here I am in front of a screen as I am most days and doing this more than I do anything else and with very very little results beyond trickle of creative writing.
Facts and time being what they are, I am running out of good years left and I am wasting the majority of each one I spend. I know it is crazy to think you can wake up and become a different person overnight, but that change has to start somewhere. It has to start by recognizing where you are and where you intend to be. It means making tough choices and changing things in your life. I am ready to begin that transformation now.