I have been thinking a lot about the effect of geography on one's life. Mostly, whether it is possible to get a "do over" in life by changing location. It seems as if nearly everyone I know has lived in the same general geographic area his/her entire life, so I have few examples.
There actually is only one that I can really bring to mind. A friend of mine from college moved from Austin to a random Midwestern city years ago, and many of us, her included, wondered what she was thinking, especially given that she had lived in the South her entire life. But that city was like a chrysalis for my friend. She spent a long winter doing a lot of work fixing up an old house and in her new environment was able to change old habits, with the result being major weight loss she has maintained to this day. My friend came into her own in that city, with the weight change being merely a physical manifestation of other changes.
But she was younger than I am when she made that move; it has probably been 10 years now, and she is just a year older than me. Is 39 and counting too old for a dog who wants to learn new tricks?
16 May 2009
Starting Over, Yet Again
Posted by Lisa at 10:55 PM
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5 comments:
Wherever we go, we are still ourselves. That said, a change in geography can be remarkable for giving us new eyes, new patterns, new challenges and opportunities, and an incredible opportunity to metamorphose, should we choose to.
At least, this is what I've seen among my friends.
I have three friends who are in different stages of a 1000+ mile transition. One has blossomed remarkably over the last 18 months. Another has started to blossom over the last two months (which included getting laid off just weeks after buying her new house). And the third is ready to re-blossom when she moves in a few weeks.
The last mover is the closest friend of the three, and we have worried (together) over the peril of thinking that everything will be better if she thinks that the new place is paradise, and that everything will be handed to her. But we're sure she's not going to be tripped by that mindset. She knows she has work to do, and that the new place is both (a) more suited for her and (b) fertile ground for her self-work.
Meanwhile, by the way, I have another friend who has radically transformed himself over the last year. His story may be the most dramatic of the three, when all is said and done. And he had stayed right where he's been for the last four decades.
You may notice that all of these are success stories. I know that not all stories have such smiles, but I offer you these because I think you're ready to make another success story of your own.
And by the way, all of these people are 40 and older.
A dog becomes too old for new tricks only when he decides he's too old for new tricks. That can happen at age 25. And that can happen never.
You are absolutely not too old. Making a new start somewhere else can be a very liberating experience. I have been reading your blog for a long time, and you have been searching for something and not finding it where you are, even thought you have changed jobs. Maybe a change of scene is what is needed.
In a short answer - No. You are never too old.
Sometimes the radical change we seek is thrust upon us. Sometimes we must be the agent of the change.
Thanks, all. I feel inspired to live up to the faith you have in me, and in the human spirit!
You will bring it wherever you roam, Ms. Lisa! I love reading the answers of your wise readers! Betty's especially, made me want to cheer. That being said, I (and many others) believe that different parts of the world carry different energy (hence the joy of traveling). You won't get the same feeling from living in a Montecito cottage as you would living in a Chicago high rise. I say, mix it up!!! You will bloom, I KNOW IT!! (Remember the message I sent you after I went to Hyde Park? I hadn't even read this yet. It was the Universe/God/etc. sending confirmation that another setting, another "set" is waiting for your next act.)
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