Did you ever wonder about the midlife crisis…in men?  And women too.  Women go through their own type of midlife crisis…usually diagnosed as a breakdown, depression, or some undiagnosed mental issue that fits the current trendy disorder.

Midlife: A Beginner’s Guide to Blur (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don’t believe it’s such a great mystery, nor do I think people are just trying to recapture their youth.  And I certainly don’t think it’s such a great crisis…

Crisis? What Crisis? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What they are really doing is rediscovering themselves, their true selves.

Investigation Discovery Europe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Living against their natures in all the various roles they fell into…husband, father, provider, nurturer, chief cook and bottle washer…you get the drift.

19th c bottle washer (Photo credit: Travlr)

Case in point.

As a child, all behaviour that created waves where waves were unwanted, anything considered mis-behaviour, uncivilized for any particular era or just didn’t fit in what was acceptable at that moment was strongly discouraged in any way the parent could find.  The reprimands were repeated, over and over again.  Lessons taught.  Lessons learned.

Misfit scooter crew (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What lesson?

The one that says who you are is not good enough.  The lesson that your true self is not acceptable.

good enough for you (Photo credit: davnull)

So.  We buckle down.  Conform to the best of our abilities.  And live a life that is contrary to our deepest needs and desires.  We bore ourselves to death.

English: This lets ya know about NO BORING CIRCLE SIGNS i hate them. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Repressing yourself only lasts for so long.  Then all hell breaks loose.

Bedlam (novel) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Men buy fast cars, change the way they dress and start “dogging”.

1:a – midlife criss; see ‘porche’ (Photo credit: wander.lust)

Women usually wait til the divorce is over and find themselves “footloose and fancy  free”.  They start making themselves “pretty”, going out on dates again then finding themselves again.  Society calls them cougars.

English: North Amerian Cougar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They “wild” ways sets them on the path back to who they really are.

Wild 7 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

And I say “What’s wrong with that?”

Lost for Words (Acceptance album) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)