Sharon Brock
Jan 24, 2025
“What is it you plan to do with your wild and precious life?” What if this famous line by poet Mary Oliver was not only relevant to people in their teens, but also in midlife?
“What is it you plan to do with your wild and precious life?”
What if this famous line by poet Mary Oliver was not only relevant to people in their teens, but also in midlife? Given the considerable research on longevity, people are living healthier and longer lives, redefining what it is to be middle-aged. There is an antiquated cultural belief that once a person reaches the age of about 50, it’s too late to reinvent themselves or choose a new path. But now that we are living longer, we have a more expansive sense of time left to experience more joy, meaning, and impact.
“Rather than a midlife crisis, I call this time in our lives a midlife reckoning,” says Barbara Waxman, MS, gerontologist, leadership coach, and Stanford Lifestyle Medicine advisory board member. “Many people come to me worried that it’s too late to re-write their script and to recalibrate their on-going commitment to purpose. The truth is there is no ‘sell by’ date limiting your usefulness when you have decades of life and leadership in front of you.”