I just finished listening to Life is in the Transitions by Bruce Feiler. The premise is basically to point out that our lives are not linear. The midlife crisis isn’t actually a thing that happens to everyone between x and y ages, and we aren’t likely to continue on a trajectory throughout our lives without disruption.
My response to the premise is basically ‘well, duh’, however, there are interesting stories. To arrive at his conclusion, he interviewed 225 people in depth about their lives and then compiled the data and ultimately focused on how people deal with different transitionary periods.
In reflection on the book, it’s interesting to note how many different lives we can lead within our one lifetime – and how changes for others affect us. Our relationships change and morph as we change and as they change. What feels like forever in this moment, will probably not actually last forever.