I recently connected on social media with a couple of women who have started a movement for women who had powerful professional careers but who were now retired. What they offer is intriguing on some levels, but it's easy for me to see it's not really my cup of tea.
From age 36 and on, my calling changed from working as an executive assistant to become a career mother and, later, life coach and writer. I held no professional credientials as these women did, but I knew beyond a doubt I was doing what my heart suggested I should do.
These women, had been career lawyers. Throughout their careers, they reportedly held parties and enjoyed dressing sharply. Now, in retirement, they still love to entertain and dress sharply, with a few changes. It was funny to hear one say their retired male counterparts aren't exactly dressing nicely now that they're retired.
We're All Unique
We are all unique. It's exciting to hear others' stories and learn from them. And it's great to see our differences and rest in who we are. I dislike entertaining. My career clothes are jeans, leggings, jeggings, tunics, and T-shirts. My worldview is vastly different from theirs but I still tune into their videos now and then.
As I listened to these women, it struck me that since I'd worked from home for so many years, I'd already navigated many of the challenges they were just now encountering concerning life lived from home base. Some of the questions that faced them included:
Where to find community.
How to explain to others what they do.
How to keep a sense of identity once they are no longer identified by their job.
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| Art by Rosalie Garde |
Most midlife women struggle with these questions. I've tackled them on and off for years. Have you?
My perspective has grown and evolved as I've now entered my older adult years and call myself semi-retired. But one thing has never changed, and that is what I know about how God sees all women. We are all equal in God's eyes whether we are or have been in high-paid professional careers or not! And in that truth, I find my rest.
God creates us all with unique gifts, abilities, and callings. Some of us are better at cleaning and organizing a home than others are. Some are better at smoozing and fundraising for charities than others are. Some women are salon owners who are great at doing hair. Others are engineers who take care of multimillion dollar civil projects in their cities. Others are cut flower gardeners/sellers.
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Stop the Comparing
Rather than comparing ourselves with others or feeling less than, it's better to celebrate who we are and where God has placed. Having contentment and joy in our livelihood is better than loathing it. And tough luck if women around us don't understand our choices.
Most of us have realized that all through life we remake ourselves. Sometimes we struggle. That's pretty common.
These recently retired women mentioned above are on a mission to figure out who they are "now" and then to share their discoveries with newly retired or about-to-retire women. I'm sure many will flock to them.
My advice is that it's okay to be curious about new programs offered on social media. It's okay to take lessons from others. But most importantly, it is the voice of the Holy Spirit we need to follow.
Always continue being the person God created YOU to be. Give yourself a pat on the back for how far you've come.
