What is your Second Spring?

As I started my coaching practice last year, women of my age started to reach out. They described this time in their lives...and it had so many uncanny similarities: children launching (who am I now?), desire for more meaning and giving back (generativity), needing a shift in perspective or a new career, fear of ageism and worsening health. I got more curious. I began a conversation about this with a young friend who said that in traditional Chinese medicine, when a woman has finished her childbearing years and enters menopause, the life force or chi energy moves upwards to her heart and mind. This gives rise to a new, refreshed life phase or a "Second Spring”. This made perfect sense to me. This is what my clients were describing.

In our culture we have markers for women: daughter, young woman, mother, grandmother...but there is a missing phase in there. Between mother and grandmother, in our 50's and 60's and maybe 70's there is a phase of robust, healthy life. Women need to reclaim and redefine this time away from the negative stereotypes our culture has given it. It is a time when wisdom and experience can be celebrated and deeply held values lived out with intention and purpose. It can be a time of rebirth and renewal and giving back...not sliding into poor health, old age and regret.

We are not ready for the rocking chair. It is time to redefine ourselves, reclaim our dreams and create a Second Spring.