Midlife

I’m a proud midlife activist. No life stage is more derided than this period of life. It’s the Rodney Dangerfield of life stages: “it don’t get no respect.”

In one of the most famous fairy tales, the fairy godmother casts a spell that offers Cinderella a beautiful gown, carriage and horses so she can go to the Prince’s ball, but she’s told she has to leave by midnight before all of this fantasy returns to rags, a pumpkin, and rats.

Korea is a fascinating country, not just because they have a vibrant artistic culture (think K-Pop and Academy of Awards Best Picture “Parasites” and many other films), but it also has the lowest birth rate of any modern country in the world (just 0.74 children per woman when the replacement rate for a country is 2.1) and it also has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, just behind Japan. If you want to get a window into our aging global future, you’d want to look at Korea and Japan.

The challenge of being an author with a big publisher is that you deliver the final manuscript about a year before the book comes out, which means new ideas may percolate to the surface that won’t be captured in the published book.

Part of the reason I decided to write “Learning to Love Midlife” (https://bit.ly/48ag4FH) was because I didn’t feel there were many mainstream books that told the modern midlife story. But, I recently cracked open James Hollis’ insightful first book, “The Middle Passage,” and was reminded of just how influential this work of art was on my early thinking on midlife.

Taking a gap year in midlife used to be the kind of topic you might hear at an expensive restaurant. But things have changed. More people are working part-time remotely, many inexpensive places (especially in Latin America and Asia) have become modernized, and a growing number of folks in their 40s and 50s are seeing a "midlife atrium" as a necessary career pitstop in a career that will likely continue into their 70s.

Chip’s Note: Annie was one of our five finalists of 151 entrants into our “Life Begins @ 50” contest. Given the quality of her essay, you can see there was some lovable, impressive competition. Thanks, Annie, for sharing your story! If you’re curious about being around the age of 50, check out my co-founder Jeff Hamaoui’s “Life Begins @ 50” workshop in Baja this spring: https://www.meawisdom.com/workshop/life-begins-at-50-embracing-your-second-adulthood-with-jeff-hamaoui

Chip's Editorial Comment: As many of you know, we’ve offered anyone from 48-54 the ability to win a free 3-night private birthday celebration and workshop at our new Santa Fe ranch campus based upon their approximately 500-word essay on why life begins at 50. We had over 150 entries with some (including the winner) offering persuasive social media reasons about why they should be selected. Congratulations to Gabrielle Pelecci who turns 50 on August 1 and will be celebrating with 7 of her friends in Santa Fe, NM. Here’s her essay and Instagram reel below. We’ll be sharing some of the other essays over the next few weeks. Keep MEA in mind when you’re considering a landmark birthday as it’s a great way to bond with friends and have life-changing conversations.

I’ve said before that our longevity literacy sucks. When we underestimate how much life we have on the planet, we’re not as smart about saving money, courageous about trying new things, or healthy enough to keep our rental vehicle (our body) well-maintained. So, here are five questions meant to improve your understanding of midlife so you can live a longer, happier life.

Chip's Editorial Comment: I can’t wait to have Ben teach at MEA as his new book is my favorite of 2024 so far.