Nostalgia and the Architecture of a Mid-life Crisis

Holy Nostalgia!

The string of posts from Ed and Marc is interesting on multiple accounts, and holy cow has the nostalgia set in for our family! I’m condensing topics here for the sake of blog ease, so bear with me. There are a few angles here:

1. Are we getting old? The commentary veers towards two paths that both lead me to the conclusion that we definitely are getting old. First, there was no shortage of commentary about the amazing changes and similarities to when we grew up. Does that sound like our Father…yes! Recognizing and pointing out similarities and differences of a place (The 101) that we haven’t lived in for decades is a sure sign of aging. Second, there was this concept and embrace of the good ‘ol days. Once again, harkening back to a time long passed. Which brings me to…

2. Watching the aging process of our parents and grandparents has brought into focus for each of us (albeit in different ways) the vulnerability of our lives. There have been questions posed on the blog or conversations that somehow lead to what will happen when:
a. Mom and Dad grow older.
b. our Grandmas pass away.
c. our kids leave us behind.
d. we reach the final chapters of our lives.

We are all thinking in different ways about our legacy, how we have lived and will live out the middle and late chapters of our lives, and the role of others including God in those chapters. That is really heavy, heady stuff. It makes us feel older than the late 30’s – mid 40’s. Perhaps induced by a particular set of circumstances with the Grandmas, but it feels chronologically out of place to me. Mid-life crisis-ish?

3. I think my perspective on this broad set of topics is quite different from you guys because I experience them with greater frequency than you both. I am here so I see Mom and Dad, I see the Grandmas, and I hear more details of the mundane. To be clear I’m not judging, but the periods of time between visits likely amplify the changes to you as well as your reactions to them. Originally when discussing these topics with each of you I felt a shallowness in my thoughtfulness around these issues. But as I’ve thought more about the topics, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve had more ample opportunity to digest these topics in small bites than either of you, which serves to dampen the strength of my response and in a relative sense amplify yours. Perhaps that explanation serves only to make me feel better about myself. But I think there is a difference there.

What does it all mean? When you figure it out let me know.