Really enjoying reading your posts--and the rich comments of all these other women. I related to so much of what you write as an academic who took at an early retirement to live nomadically (and write)--and eventually to buy a little place in Mexico. That was 12 years ago.
Now, at age 62, I finally made it to Paris for the first time (drool!), and I loved reading all you wrote about women artists & writers in Paris. BTW, a great friend of mine was Fulbright as Distinguished Chair of the Humanities at the University of Manchester a few years back (and ended up meeting and marrying a British man, so she now lives in Marple with him). I'm envious that you get to work with Jeanette Winterson. I adore her writing and look forward to hearing more about your adventures in your fiction writing program.
PS: I think "life doesn't have to be like this" has been my silent mantra my whole life. That's what drew me to reading--to see what other people do with their living time.
PSS: I returned to school several times in my life, including getting at MFA in my late 40s after already having a PhD. I so relate to your words about relinquishing the "expert" and relishing the beginner's mind.
Hello Kate! Sounds like we have some things in common. It’s great to hear your story about leaving academia and pursuing an MFA and a home in Mexico. Enjoy your time in Paris!
I certainly understand the desire to connect with the wonder of beginner's mind. Learning is one of my favorite things and highest values--and I'm looking forward to hearing about what you're learning. One thing that I appreciated about my master's program is that there were MA and PhD students focusing on creative writing--their perspectives on our readings were often insightful.
I'm doing scary things this fall--taking my health seriously has meant doctors' appointments (and therapy to deal with my trauma response to doctors' appointments--going through cancer and seizures as a baby has led to my having strong physical reactions to doctors' appointments--I want to work through and try to resolve some of that). (And now that I have to have a colonoscopy and my gall bladder out in the next month, I am getting plenty of practice.)
I am resolved this season to slow down and be present. And connect with others however I can.
Sending love and care to you, as you go through these doctor’s visits and procedures. That is lot for anyone, and must be especially challenging for you. Sounds like there is also an opportunity for some healing, which I’m so glad you are reaching for. Warm thoughts to you, Monica!
I live on an aging sailing vessel and she needed extensive repairs. I find myself nesting above a tattoo parlor in an eclectic village on the Chesapeake Bay...wandering streets and watching the fall, learning the ancient art of boatbuilding, writing creatively to keep folks interested in a Substack that has diverged like the rest of us...
Taking strides and taking it all in stride is part of what makes truly Audacious Women.
I am SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE and wondering what comes next.
What a beautiful campus to study in! I'm one of those people who feels September marks a new beginning of sorts, perhaps because I loved school and I felt every year I learned something new or took me to a different city, once I started studying abroad. I agree with how easy we can fall prey of remaining stuck and thinking nothing exciting will happen for us again and that our days will be a repetition for each other, but like you said sometimes changing the way we look at our reality can be the spark that sets everything else in motion for a transformation. I'm glad for you to approach this new phase with such enthusiasm and openness and for all the new beginnings it'll bring.
Omg I’m loving all this! I did a PhD in my 20s and here I am at 50 doing another bachelors so I can work towards a masters in psychotherapy after 15 years working as a somatic therapist in complex trauma. It’s surreal reading books I own and have taught to other practitioners. Thanks Ann for making me feel “normal”! ❤️❤️
How exciting Anne! By the way, I have a very good woman friend (American) in Manchester you might enjoy meeting. She has lived in Manchester many years & loves the community and is very well connected. DM me if you would like to know more.
As for fall being for beginnings and an invitation to the beginner’s mind—yes! I am excited for your fiction classes. I have been a fiction writer since college, at 64 still hopeful for a published debut novel. Writing is a lifelong craft & we’re always students starting anew—no matter the season.
Thanks, Amy! I'm there only briefly, Monday-Tuesday for classes, and sometimes there are Monday evening author events to attend. If I end up moving there for some reason (I'm really enjoying Edinburgh), I'll definitely reach out.
I also think of Autumn as a time of renewal. I could say it's because I lived the first 10 years of my life in the Southern Hemisphere, or because I loved the new notebook, fresh start of school and university (fair chunk of life too). Now that I live in the southern US, Autumn is actually a second growing season in the year as the temperatures cool to pleasant and the first frost is still months away. I've been getting into a local volunteer garden, and noticing crickets and other small beasties crawling around doing their thing. As a mother (they're teens now), the start of the school year is a time when their structure influences mine (and frees up more daytime to get work outside the home done).
I'm also writing about midlife reinvention, as at 53 some old stuff no longer fits and I'm enjoying the process of spring cleaning myself (well, enjoying some of it. Parts of it are scary and horrifying and regretful, but there's a making space to it, which will hopefully allow the new to enter).
I look forward to reading about what you learn in your new adventure.
Hi Anne! I'm consuming your post like a hot meal during a hurricane. Which is where I am coming from - my partner and I just evacuated from Hurricane Helene. I took a massive risk this year and went back to school as well for my masters in social work! I went back and forth with the creative writing MFA as well... I want both! My undergrad is in creative writing and I LOVED IT.
As we returned to our home in Florida (mobile home) my partner and I thanked God again and again that it was still standing. And now I'm beginning the cramming of trying to figure out what I missed out on in my program and when due dates are and what I need to do this week, while also working 40 hr week before taking off early for Cleveland, Georgia to attend Liz Gilbert's Big Magic Retreat!
God am I grateful. And also stressed with knowing I am a student again, and getting into that rhythm, with all of life's unexpected plot twists.
Thank you for sharing your story, Anne!! It is massively encouraging to me, we're going back to school together :)
I'm so hungry for stories like yours, Anne. My oldest child just went off to college this fall, and what comes next is so murky and unknown. I've been intensely focused on caring for my family for literally decades now. I'm good at finding purpose and new projects and pockets of self-determination, but what's possible when all my time and money isn't focused on my children? The possibilities are exciting but also overwhelming.
Recently I started a Substack at katemunning.substack.com, and I describe it like this: Jersey girl born and bred. Professional word-slinger, chef, trowel ninja, voracious reader, and notorious libertine. Easily identified by my raucous laugh. Probably planning a trip overseas. My signature karaoke song is “Sabotage."
Hi Anne! I'm new to the community -- found you through your interview with Jen...and so glad I did. I love what you say about how life is ebbs and flows of cycles. Cycles of change, cycles of dormancy, cycles of steady routine. In my "younger" years as a newly freed woman from the constraints of patriarchy, I was a SPONGE for all things that taught the world through a feminine POV. I learned about the Red Tent and started holding space for other women to learn these powerful myths and the cycles that drive our body and our planet and the moon. I did a lot of writing as I came out of christianity, into my feminine and beyond. Then, being a single mom and having to "get back to work" (paid work that is)...I went into a period of dormancy. There were little surfaces looking to see if my Winter was over yet...but nope. NOW though, I have reached a Mid-Life crisis (47) where what I did for income for 8.5 years to be available as a mum (uber and lyft) is no longer working. I have tried SO MANY times to get "back into" corporate America in my skill set - but even for entry-level positions feel like I am not taken seriously and have become invisible. SOOO...as I had the good fortune of renting my home (something I have done on Airbnb for 14 years to supplement Uber), I have slowed down this past month and asked: What is it I REALLY want to do? I had already begun writing again (fiction too!....though I also have been non-fiction/blogger). But in that split second - I knew. "I want to research, write and teach. I want to help people think, then think again." Soooo...I have been applying to Master's as well. Waiting to hear on one. And researching, writing (HolliMccormick.Substack.com) and helping others with their writing....so yes it is good to Re-Birth ourselves ain't it?
What an exciting journey, Anne! I love recognising that new and exciting can sit happily with routine and structure. I am a bit of a fiend for the new ......" What next?" "How do we make it happen?" So, I am currently working on a little hibernating and germinating of ideas. Being in the very fortunate position of taking a career break, it is so obvious to me that we humans need space and time to find what we need and love at different times in our lives. I am very grateful for where I am right now.
YESSS to career breaks, right?! I am in one too...and instead of rushing to find the next thing (or getting back in the car with Uber as I have done before) I am chasing my passions...and finding that as my body slows down and unravels from the pace of surviving - holy cow is my creativity and consciousness flourishing. Amen sister!
Oh my goodness, I was pleased to see this post.I left teaching at 54, 6 years ago, and completely recognize how the routine of a teaching day became stultifying. My day was ruled by school bells and when I left I gloried in the freedom of not doing everything to a time limit. September as a time to begin a fresh is hardwired but it always feels a so much more hopeful time than January. I have loved reading the stories of new beginnings here and thank you for such an uplifting piece. I wish you the very best in your new writing venture.
I need stories like this, about new starts, about living a fulfilling life over fifty. I left my teaching job at the age of 51 and now, that it has been little over a year, I am still getting used to my new life. The freedom and opportunities surprise me and I look forward with an open heart and mind at what else is possible, what else I am capable of. I strongly wish and take action to have creative writing as part of this new decade.
Loved this, Anne! Looking forward to following along on your back-to-school journey. I feel like I’m “going through something” in my art practice right now. I moved into a new studio in June, the first one outside of my home, and I’ve been more productive than ever — which is great! I’m getting ready to submit work to some galleries and one of my old nagging creative “issues” that I have about my work is starting to come back to torment my mind again, so I’m having to deal with that right now. I’ll get through it!
what a time Melanie - I love how you talk to yourself. Yes, only way to the other side is through it...and hopefully this time you will lay that old voice to rest by seeing what it was trying to protect you from? The best of luck to you!!!
Thank you! I mostly keep this stuff in my head, which often doesn’t help, but was able to talk to an artist friend who helped me shine some light on to some things. 🥰
Absolutely connected with this. I'm about to start a 2 year creative writing course. I'm 52. It's taken me considerable time to sign up to it. Both excited to be learning again but also worried about how vulnerable I'll be and feel.
OMG - I LOVE that I found this community. finally my WOMEN. Women starting over again and even IF afraid stepping into it anywho and saying "I'm here and I am not backing down this time!" Have to say being older is great in this way. I am 47 and just finally pursuing my writing career as well :-)
Hello Hollie...me too. I've been amazed at how many women here are taking the plunge. So often (and speaking for myself here), when you hit a certain age you feel it may be over or that invisibility has set in. It's been a revelation to actually see other women. Good luck with your creative journey x
Really enjoying reading your posts--and the rich comments of all these other women. I related to so much of what you write as an academic who took at an early retirement to live nomadically (and write)--and eventually to buy a little place in Mexico. That was 12 years ago.
Now, at age 62, I finally made it to Paris for the first time (drool!), and I loved reading all you wrote about women artists & writers in Paris. BTW, a great friend of mine was Fulbright as Distinguished Chair of the Humanities at the University of Manchester a few years back (and ended up meeting and marrying a British man, so she now lives in Marple with him). I'm envious that you get to work with Jeanette Winterson. I adore her writing and look forward to hearing more about your adventures in your fiction writing program.
PS: I think "life doesn't have to be like this" has been my silent mantra my whole life. That's what drew me to reading--to see what other people do with their living time.
PSS: I returned to school several times in my life, including getting at MFA in my late 40s after already having a PhD. I so relate to your words about relinquishing the "expert" and relishing the beginner's mind.
Hello Kate! Sounds like we have some things in common. It’s great to hear your story about leaving academia and pursuing an MFA and a home in Mexico. Enjoy your time in Paris!
I certainly understand the desire to connect with the wonder of beginner's mind. Learning is one of my favorite things and highest values--and I'm looking forward to hearing about what you're learning. One thing that I appreciated about my master's program is that there were MA and PhD students focusing on creative writing--their perspectives on our readings were often insightful.
I'm doing scary things this fall--taking my health seriously has meant doctors' appointments (and therapy to deal with my trauma response to doctors' appointments--going through cancer and seizures as a baby has led to my having strong physical reactions to doctors' appointments--I want to work through and try to resolve some of that). (And now that I have to have a colonoscopy and my gall bladder out in the next month, I am getting plenty of practice.)
I am resolved this season to slow down and be present. And connect with others however I can.
Sending love and care to you, as you go through these doctor’s visits and procedures. That is lot for anyone, and must be especially challenging for you. Sounds like there is also an opportunity for some healing, which I’m so glad you are reaching for. Warm thoughts to you, Monica!
Cheers to you, Anne!
I live on an aging sailing vessel and she needed extensive repairs. I find myself nesting above a tattoo parlor in an eclectic village on the Chesapeake Bay...wandering streets and watching the fall, learning the ancient art of boatbuilding, writing creatively to keep folks interested in a Substack that has diverged like the rest of us...
Taking strides and taking it all in stride is part of what makes truly Audacious Women.
I am SPARRING WITH MOTHER NATURE and wondering what comes next.
~Janice Anne
Beautiful! Taking it all in stride indeed! Best of luck with your repairs. :)
Thanks so much for sharing. You write beautifully and I loved reading about your new start, so inspiring and vulnerable. Just what we need to hear!
Thank you, Emma! :)
What a beautiful campus to study in! I'm one of those people who feels September marks a new beginning of sorts, perhaps because I loved school and I felt every year I learned something new or took me to a different city, once I started studying abroad. I agree with how easy we can fall prey of remaining stuck and thinking nothing exciting will happen for us again and that our days will be a repetition for each other, but like you said sometimes changing the way we look at our reality can be the spark that sets everything else in motion for a transformation. I'm glad for you to approach this new phase with such enthusiasm and openness and for all the new beginnings it'll bring.
Omg I’m loving all this! I did a PhD in my 20s and here I am at 50 doing another bachelors so I can work towards a masters in psychotherapy after 15 years working as a somatic therapist in complex trauma. It’s surreal reading books I own and have taught to other practitioners. Thanks Ann for making me feel “normal”! ❤️❤️
How exciting Anne! By the way, I have a very good woman friend (American) in Manchester you might enjoy meeting. She has lived in Manchester many years & loves the community and is very well connected. DM me if you would like to know more.
As for fall being for beginnings and an invitation to the beginner’s mind—yes! I am excited for your fiction classes. I have been a fiction writer since college, at 64 still hopeful for a published debut novel. Writing is a lifelong craft & we’re always students starting anew—no matter the season.
Thanks, Amy! I'm there only briefly, Monday-Tuesday for classes, and sometimes there are Monday evening author events to attend. If I end up moving there for some reason (I'm really enjoying Edinburgh), I'll definitely reach out.
I also think of Autumn as a time of renewal. I could say it's because I lived the first 10 years of my life in the Southern Hemisphere, or because I loved the new notebook, fresh start of school and university (fair chunk of life too). Now that I live in the southern US, Autumn is actually a second growing season in the year as the temperatures cool to pleasant and the first frost is still months away. I've been getting into a local volunteer garden, and noticing crickets and other small beasties crawling around doing their thing. As a mother (they're teens now), the start of the school year is a time when their structure influences mine (and frees up more daytime to get work outside the home done).
I'm also writing about midlife reinvention, as at 53 some old stuff no longer fits and I'm enjoying the process of spring cleaning myself (well, enjoying some of it. Parts of it are scary and horrifying and regretful, but there's a making space to it, which will hopefully allow the new to enter).
I look forward to reading about what you learn in your new adventure.
Hi Anne! I'm consuming your post like a hot meal during a hurricane. Which is where I am coming from - my partner and I just evacuated from Hurricane Helene. I took a massive risk this year and went back to school as well for my masters in social work! I went back and forth with the creative writing MFA as well... I want both! My undergrad is in creative writing and I LOVED IT.
As we returned to our home in Florida (mobile home) my partner and I thanked God again and again that it was still standing. And now I'm beginning the cramming of trying to figure out what I missed out on in my program and when due dates are and what I need to do this week, while also working 40 hr week before taking off early for Cleveland, Georgia to attend Liz Gilbert's Big Magic Retreat!
God am I grateful. And also stressed with knowing I am a student again, and getting into that rhythm, with all of life's unexpected plot twists.
Thank you for sharing your story, Anne!! It is massively encouraging to me, we're going back to school together :)
I'm so hungry for stories like yours, Anne. My oldest child just went off to college this fall, and what comes next is so murky and unknown. I've been intensely focused on caring for my family for literally decades now. I'm good at finding purpose and new projects and pockets of self-determination, but what's possible when all my time and money isn't focused on my children? The possibilities are exciting but also overwhelming.
Recently I started a Substack at katemunning.substack.com, and I describe it like this: Jersey girl born and bred. Professional word-slinger, chef, trowel ninja, voracious reader, and notorious libertine. Easily identified by my raucous laugh. Probably planning a trip overseas. My signature karaoke song is “Sabotage."
I totally agree with this description- I'm HUNGRY for stories like these!
Hi Anne! I'm new to the community -- found you through your interview with Jen...and so glad I did. I love what you say about how life is ebbs and flows of cycles. Cycles of change, cycles of dormancy, cycles of steady routine. In my "younger" years as a newly freed woman from the constraints of patriarchy, I was a SPONGE for all things that taught the world through a feminine POV. I learned about the Red Tent and started holding space for other women to learn these powerful myths and the cycles that drive our body and our planet and the moon. I did a lot of writing as I came out of christianity, into my feminine and beyond. Then, being a single mom and having to "get back to work" (paid work that is)...I went into a period of dormancy. There were little surfaces looking to see if my Winter was over yet...but nope. NOW though, I have reached a Mid-Life crisis (47) where what I did for income for 8.5 years to be available as a mum (uber and lyft) is no longer working. I have tried SO MANY times to get "back into" corporate America in my skill set - but even for entry-level positions feel like I am not taken seriously and have become invisible. SOOO...as I had the good fortune of renting my home (something I have done on Airbnb for 14 years to supplement Uber), I have slowed down this past month and asked: What is it I REALLY want to do? I had already begun writing again (fiction too!....though I also have been non-fiction/blogger). But in that split second - I knew. "I want to research, write and teach. I want to help people think, then think again." Soooo...I have been applying to Master's as well. Waiting to hear on one. And researching, writing (HolliMccormick.Substack.com) and helping others with their writing....so yes it is good to Re-Birth ourselves ain't it?
What an exciting journey, Anne! I love recognising that new and exciting can sit happily with routine and structure. I am a bit of a fiend for the new ......" What next?" "How do we make it happen?" So, I am currently working on a little hibernating and germinating of ideas. Being in the very fortunate position of taking a career break, it is so obvious to me that we humans need space and time to find what we need and love at different times in our lives. I am very grateful for where I am right now.
YESSS to career breaks, right?! I am in one too...and instead of rushing to find the next thing (or getting back in the car with Uber as I have done before) I am chasing my passions...and finding that as my body slows down and unravels from the pace of surviving - holy cow is my creativity and consciousness flourishing. Amen sister!
Oh my goodness, I was pleased to see this post.I left teaching at 54, 6 years ago, and completely recognize how the routine of a teaching day became stultifying. My day was ruled by school bells and when I left I gloried in the freedom of not doing everything to a time limit. September as a time to begin a fresh is hardwired but it always feels a so much more hopeful time than January. I have loved reading the stories of new beginnings here and thank you for such an uplifting piece. I wish you the very best in your new writing venture.
I need stories like this, about new starts, about living a fulfilling life over fifty. I left my teaching job at the age of 51 and now, that it has been little over a year, I am still getting used to my new life. The freedom and opportunities surprise me and I look forward with an open heart and mind at what else is possible, what else I am capable of. I strongly wish and take action to have creative writing as part of this new decade.
Do It!!
I’m so glad my story speaks to you, Terje! This time of life can be full of loss but also lots of new opportunities. Enjoy the possibilities!
Loved this, Anne! Looking forward to following along on your back-to-school journey. I feel like I’m “going through something” in my art practice right now. I moved into a new studio in June, the first one outside of my home, and I’ve been more productive than ever — which is great! I’m getting ready to submit work to some galleries and one of my old nagging creative “issues” that I have about my work is starting to come back to torment my mind again, so I’m having to deal with that right now. I’ll get through it!
what a time Melanie - I love how you talk to yourself. Yes, only way to the other side is through it...and hopefully this time you will lay that old voice to rest by seeing what it was trying to protect you from? The best of luck to you!!!
Thank you! I mostly keep this stuff in my head, which often doesn’t help, but was able to talk to an artist friend who helped me shine some light on to some things. 🥰
Sounds like the change has been unsettling, which can yield positive and negative results. Good luck getting through the difficult parts!
Thank you! 🥰
Absolutely connected with this. I'm about to start a 2 year creative writing course. I'm 52. It's taken me considerable time to sign up to it. Both excited to be learning again but also worried about how vulnerable I'll be and feel.
OMG - I LOVE that I found this community. finally my WOMEN. Women starting over again and even IF afraid stepping into it anywho and saying "I'm here and I am not backing down this time!" Have to say being older is great in this way. I am 47 and just finally pursuing my writing career as well :-)
Hello Hollie...me too. I've been amazed at how many women here are taking the plunge. So often (and speaking for myself here), when you hit a certain age you feel it may be over or that invisibility has set in. It's been a revelation to actually see other women. Good luck with your creative journey x
You too Rhian! Go get ‘em sista!