The Messy Middle.
Victoria Labalme explains in her book “Risk Forward: Embrace the Unknown and Unlock your Hidden Genius:“In each of our lives at various points along the way, we find ourselves in the Fog of Not Knowing—a period of transition, when the path, the plan, or the project is not yet clear. This period in between—whether for minutes or for months—is to be respected and honored; it is fertile and full of promise. If you can meet this void without grasping for the most convenient way out, what you discover will be beyond your expectations and imagination.
I know—easier said than done. What Victoria describes is the “messy middle,” the in-between phase between ending something and starting something new. It’s awkward to feel messy at 50, but it’s normal. In fact, we go through more transitions in midlife than any other period of our life—menopause (or andropause for men), Empty Nest, caring for parents and kids at the same time, career transitions, divorce or a new romance, a health diagnosis we didn’t expect.
Midlife is a time full of surprises and challenges.
The comforting news is this: We are not alone on this journey. The messy middle is a natural transition period that everyone we know goes through. Go ahead, ask a friend. See for yourself.
What’s your messy middle these days? And what curiosity, beauty, or epiphany might sprout out of this fertile ground?
