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Wednesday 25 January 2012

Autobiography, simplified

Talking to a friend today, I was struck by her telling me that she is in Chapter 3 of her life.  I couldn't resist telling her that I was still in the Prologue, but even while I was being a smart-ass, I was thinking that I could indeed break my life into several chapters.

The Unheeding:  wherein I ate, drank and learned
The All-knowing: wherein I skipped through youth and adolescence
The Mistaken: wherein I hit the age of 22, panicked because I was not married yet à la Seventeen magazine, studied the prospects and chose the most needy
The Unheeding (2):  wherein I did my best to live in a cocoon, exiting only to take care of my children and to buy or borrow books
The Blossoming:  wherein I realized that I had some value, and determined not just to look for a better life, but to grab it, shake it silly and emerge a flashy butterfly
The Untrammelled Growing:  wherein I repositioned myself, fell in love, built a fine relationship that favoured me, my partner, my children and practically anyone I came across, and relearned what joy was all about.

Actually, I'm still there.  It's been a long stretch, but I think I can eke it out for a while yet.

10 comments:

  1. You are blessed. I'm still hoping for a "happily ever after.

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    1. Kay, there are all kinds of happily ever afters.

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    2. Not so far and I ain't gettin' any younger! Sigh.

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    3. "There are all kinds of happily ever afters". Amen to that!
      At 61, I finally feel I've found my happily ever after, and it has nothing to do with another person. I dearly wish I'd been courageous and wise enough to realize that about 30 years earlier.

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  2. You always make me smile. I loved your chapters, and I could break my own down very similarly. Except I got stuck in the unheeding (2) for far too long. I cannot believe how concisely you summed that one up - amazing. While I have just now entered the Blossoming, and may never get to Untrammelled growing, I admire you and your take on life, a fine mix of sensitivity and humor.

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    1. I can't take any credit for zipping through Unheeding(2)---I literally got blasted by some people I was working with who were all both psychologists and psychotics and all-around do-gooders.

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