Children are like chocolates. You can go all your life without them but once you get a taste you can’t imagine your life without them. I was lucky enough to collect children like you and your sister and Jenna, and as f’d up blood family falls away I feel those metaphysical bonds more strongly. Please don’t put me on a gift list lol.
All I’m saying is I can’t imagine better parents than you and Hungry boring. Except your sister. And your mother. And my daughter. ❤️🐕
Daw, thank you Auntie D! I am so grateful for the time we got to spend together when I was at my most heinous (emotionally and physically in grade 7). Love you!
This really resonates Grace. From one "geriatric" mother to another, i had my first at 34/35 and second at 38 and they are my world. I was laid off during my first pregnancy and my husband laid off during my second pregnancy! I remember him frantically applying for jobs when my son was a week old and I told him to slow down, enjoy our new baby for a few months because we'd never get that time again. We gained a lot of perspective and I genuinely think these things happen for a reason. my career halted as soon as i became pregnant and 5 years later im trying to figure out the best way forward for us! Glad found you in this corner of the internet!!
Great read, friend! I keep seeing the term "messy middle" as well and feel like it is such a personal experience for everyone. I've been referring to mine as an awakening and treating it as a time to decide what it is I want for the rest of my time here so that I can always look back and know I did things my way.
Thank you! I hadn’t encountered ‘messy middle’ and was calling it the ‘inbetween’ until Substack. It seems so many of us are here. Awakening is even better!
This was beautifully written. I really liked the way you described the middle, that space where everything feels up in the air but you are still moving forward. It captured that strange mix of uncertainty and movement really well. That line about not going back and that itself being progress really connected with me 💕
Love this! The messy middle is so tough but it’s also that no-man’s land where anything is possible and nothing is quite decided yet. As someone who has lived there so often, I welcome you in. It’s scary but also a rewarding place.
We are not ageing as quickly as the new world is arriving." That is the line that perfectly captures the vertigo of navigating a decade where the old playbooks no longer apply.
Great to have your voice here on Substack, Grace. Subscribed and look forward to reading more. I would love you to do the same, if my writing resonates.
I really like this one: "We don’t know what comes next. But we know we’re not going back. And that feels like a progres."❤️ And I agree with you that nostalgia, when held with awareness, turns memory into momentum for positive change 👍
Children are like chocolates. You can go all your life without them but once you get a taste you can’t imagine your life without them. I was lucky enough to collect children like you and your sister and Jenna, and as f’d up blood family falls away I feel those metaphysical bonds more strongly. Please don’t put me on a gift list lol.
All I’m saying is I can’t imagine better parents than you and Hungry boring. Except your sister. And your mother. And my daughter. ❤️🐕
Daw, thank you Auntie D! I am so grateful for the time we got to spend together when I was at my most heinous (emotionally and physically in grade 7). Love you!
I enjoyed this but the truth is — it can get messy at any point in your life.
In the blink of an eye, everything can change. For better or worse.
Making your story relatable to many.
Thank you for sharing it. 🙏🙂❤️
Thank you for the kind words! I agree, the messy middle is ageless (timeless, really).
This really resonates Grace. From one "geriatric" mother to another, i had my first at 34/35 and second at 38 and they are my world. I was laid off during my first pregnancy and my husband laid off during my second pregnancy! I remember him frantically applying for jobs when my son was a week old and I told him to slow down, enjoy our new baby for a few months because we'd never get that time again. We gained a lot of perspective and I genuinely think these things happen for a reason. my career halted as soon as i became pregnant and 5 years later im trying to figure out the best way forward for us! Glad found you in this corner of the internet!!
Thanks for sharing! Glad to connect as well. I agree that things unfold how they’re supposed to and sometimes the slower pace is just what we need.
Great read, friend! I keep seeing the term "messy middle" as well and feel like it is such a personal experience for everyone. I've been referring to mine as an awakening and treating it as a time to decide what it is I want for the rest of my time here so that I can always look back and know I did things my way.
Thank you! I hadn’t encountered ‘messy middle’ and was calling it the ‘inbetween’ until Substack. It seems so many of us are here. Awakening is even better!
This was beautifully written. I really liked the way you described the middle, that space where everything feels up in the air but you are still moving forward. It captured that strange mix of uncertainty and movement really well. That line about not going back and that itself being progress really connected with me 💕
Thank you for sharing this kind note. I am glad it resonated. I think it’s a topsy turvy time for so many of us.
Love this! The messy middle is so tough but it’s also that no-man’s land where anything is possible and nothing is quite decided yet. As someone who has lived there so often, I welcome you in. It’s scary but also a rewarding place.
Thank you for the thoughtful comment. No man’s land indeed, but no man can also be for every man? Rewarding for sure.
We are not ageing as quickly as the new world is arriving." That is the line that perfectly captures the vertigo of navigating a decade where the old playbooks no longer apply.
Great to have your voice here on Substack, Grace. Subscribed and look forward to reading more. I would love you to do the same, if my writing resonates.
Thanks George! Was trying to capture this snippet in time and glad that resonated! I look forward to reading more of you
You’re welcome and thank you!
I really like this one: "We don’t know what comes next. But we know we’re not going back. And that feels like a progres."❤️ And I agree with you that nostalgia, when held with awareness, turns memory into momentum for positive change 👍
Well said Val! Thank you for the kind note. I didn’t want this piece to come across as pessimistic, and totally agree with you