What If This Chapter Is The Most Interesting One Yet?
What’s next can be more interesting than you imagined.
When you're young, the path forward is pretty clear for many of us: finish school, get a job, find a partner, and build a family. Not everyone follows these steps, but these are the common milestones of adulthood, the markers to pass through. And then as we get older there’s a lot of talk about retirement and death.
What’s less obvious as you go through life is that whether you follow the steps above or forge a different path, there can be an in-between period that catches some of us off guard. You’ve tried some things. You have some accomplishments. You’ve grown out of certain roles or priorities. And now you find yourself unsure of what’s next.
It’s a kind of liminal space, where you no longer feel quite like the person you were, but you haven’t yet arrived at whatever comes next.
This uncertainty, the feeling of being in limbo or even stuck, can be a natural part of re-evaluating what matters and where you want to go. Leaning into this stage of still becoming, whatever that means to you, shifts our attention toward possibility and curiosity and away from fear and dread. Many of us have a natural inclination toward growth, connection, and giving. When we’re able to adapt to change, we create more room for joy and peace.
For parents, I never liked the term Empty Nest. It sounds like being left behind. And while that may be true for some parents, it doesn’t begin to capture how complicated and nuanced this transition actually is. Even while parenting offers enormous meaning, there has always been more to each parent than this role.
Author Gretchen Rubin of “The Happiness Project” coined the term Open Door to describe the period when kids come home for stretches of time after their initial leaving.
For a while, I floated Freebird as an alternative. It captures how some parents have poured so much of themselves into raising a family that when the children leave there can be time for genuine rediscovery of other interests. But Freebird doesn’t describe the full experience either: the feelings of loss and confusion, and the very real questions of what now and what’s next.
Regardless of whether you raised children, midlife is a time when the shortness of life becomes undeniable. You may find yourself less willing to waste time pleasing others or chasing perfection. You may come to a kind of peace with the decisions you've made, including your regrets, and a greater acceptance of the cards you were dealt. When this happens, something can shift. Even as health and mortality stay in the foreground, there can be more room for joy, peace, and fulfillment.
What midlife offers, if we're willing to meet it, is the chance to become more intentional, not by reinventing everything, but by getting clearer on what actually matters now and building from there. That means turning toward yourself with the same generosity you've extended to others for years.
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Still Becoming: A Workshop for Women in a Season of Change
Rediscover Yourself. Cultivate Joy. Welcome What's Next.
This October I'm offering a small group workshop, limited to 8 women, focused on exactly this: deepening self-awareness, sitting with what's next, and beginning or expanding the journey toward a more intentional chapter.
Through reflective writing, guided meditation, and unhurried conversation, we'll make space to take stock of where we are, reconnect with our strengths, and consider who we still want to become.
No experience with journaling or meditation is needed. Sharing is always welcome and never required.
Monday, October 5, 2026 · 11am–1pm · Wainwright House, Rye NY · Maximum 8 participants · $180 per person
🔗 Register here: https://www.wainwright.org/events/still-becoming-a-workshop-for-women-in-a-season-of-change
