Midlife Mastery Journal

Pain, whether it’s from sickness or just growing pains, offers its own challenge to those of us who would move forward physically, mentally, spiritually, socially, or politically. “No pain, no gain” the old saying reminds us, but that really all depends on what we’re willing to do with it when it comes.

The midlife transition (transformation) brings with it a unique kind of passion: one that bridges the meaning gap between suffering and ecstasy. The dual celebrations of Passover and Easter come together this year to form one prophetic and passionate festival.

So long as we’re stuck in the ‘me-centered’ universe of adulthood, challenges and adversity will continue to appear to us to be focused on us (because that’s where our unconscious focus lies, and that’s the perspective from which we view everything that happens around us).

Apart from outright physical and emotional abuse, I believe that many (if not all) relationships “on the rocks” could be healed under the right circumstances. From my perspective, the fact that this healing so often fails to take place could be an indication that one or both of the partners have stopped listening. Additionally, ceasing to listen indicates a spiritual problem.

Just the fact of knowing what your emotional reactions to encountering change will most likely be (grief and fear), will also allow you to begin opening yourself up to the possibility of achieving an appreciation for the change process in your own life, and the rich rewards that are yours, if only you can train yourself (and your pesky emotions) to look beyond the momentary present discomfort to the growth experience that awaits you.