It may be Saturday, but that doesn’t mean it’s not time for Friday Fictioneers! Please let me know what you think of this story, and go read the rest of the Fictioneers’ tales.
In the Middle of My Life
When I started college, everything seemed to open up in front of me. So many new things to learn and do – and in a few more years I could step into the real world and claim my place there. But you have to be practical.
After college, my place in the real world turned out to be a cubicle with an uncomfortable chair and an out-of-date computer. Marriage and family are great, but I didn’t like feeling them push me back into that colorless cubicle day after day, year after year.
Well, we’re home from seeing our youngest graduate. No more reason to be practical. I want to hand in my resignation and go figure out who I can be. Will you come with me?
A Number of Things 
Yes I’d like to share the adventure please 🙂
Oh, so would I.
I sure will! I can do that now. 🙂
Lily
We’re going to have a whole caravan of people looking for their real selves 🙂
That sounds sooo nice!
love the way your character comes to life unraveling the past to the present moment. enjoyable story. 🙂
Thank you! The narrator feels like this is a turning point, maybe even a last chance, or could be one if it’s seized.
Dear Sharon,
When do we leave? 😉
Good one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
How soon can you pack? 😉
Thanks, Rochelle.
That was inspiring 🙂 I liked it!
Thank you!
Go for it! Now’s the time.
So you’re ready to join our caravan of runaways? 😉
Figure out who you can be… fascinating challenge… what to keep, what to improve… what to discard.
It’s not easy, is it? Not easy at all.
Great story and there are so many paths to take – what if I go the wrong way? I don’t care – it’ll be fun anyway! Thanks, Nan 🙂
Now, now – if you worry too much about going the wrong way you’ll wind up back in a nice practical predictable cubicle 😉 And our narrator will be very disappointed.
My youngest daughter is just finishing university and i must admit that i do feel like i am done, but now what?
“Now what?” is the hard part, isn’t it? And you have been mulling over how to reshape your life for the last few years in your blog. I don’t know – try something that’s almost within reach that you’ve been curious about for a long time?
Congratulations to your youngest daughter, and to you for helping her get this far!!
Let’s Go!
Whee!
But wait a minute – doesn’t somebody need to be responsible for making sure the whole crowd is moving in the same direction?
No? Okay, that’s good.
Good story and I wish all the best for them. My husband was retired and getting Social Security. I quit my job and we moved to India where he owned a flat and living was more affordable. However, there were problems here also, so you have problems no matter what. It’s a good dream though. Some people may be able to live their dream. Well written. 🙂 —Susan
Thank you, for the compliments and also the thoughtful analysis of what can happen! Yes – no matter how you live your life, you’ll have problems, just different ones. (And our narrator might even discover that the problems weren’t imposed by a job, but that “who he can be” includes feeling trapped in routine no matter what he’s doing!)
uncomfortable chair and an out-of-date computer. Well, Yikes, that would make anyone want to pack up and go.
I had a job like that once! Unless you sat absolutely still in a slightly tilted position, the seat of the chair flopped over and dumped you on the floor.
I stayed there two months before escaping. (Usually, I stay in one place fifteen years or so – the job was that bad.)
How sad to wait all that time. I hope they can go together though – I took this as an invitation to the husband, because I’m an old romantic that way.
I’m not sure whether it’s the wife inviting her husband or the husband inviting his wife, but you’re right that the narrator and “you” are married, and their children are now old enough to fend for themselves.