Every once in a while, I have one of those nights that reminds me exactly why we live in Brooklyn. Why we don’t move somewhere where we can triple our square footage while also halving our cost of living (give or take… you know what I mean).
A couple weeks ago, I went to see Ada Calhoun talk about her new book, Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis. It was a packed house at Books Are Magic—tons of women, along with some men, who identify with this squeeze of being middle-aged: the pressure of raising kids and becoming care-givers for parents; the belief that we should be hyper successful in our careers and yet immune to rejection, uncertainty, ageism, and other missteps and promises that never delivered. It was galvanizing to be around so many smart, inquisitive women. To feel the camaraderie and shared experience. And high off of that, I ran over to Long Island Bar, a Brooklyn favorite, and spent hours with a dear friend and french fries as a killer 80s soundtrack played in the background.
It was the same, but different, last night: A friend and I went to see Generation Women at Joe’s Pub. If you haven’t heard of this monthly storytelling event, you should check it out. Six women representing different generations (twenties, thirties, etc.) each shares a story around a given theme. Because of the age range and different backgrounds of the women, you get such an array of human experiences: poignant, funny, tragic, inspiring, relatable. It was another roomful of dynamic and fascinating women, riding high on the power of coming together.
All of this fodder about middle age, storytelling, digging in culturally, feeling the importance of community… I can relate. I don’t know if I would say I’m in my prime. I feel like creatively and professionally I’m having a lull. But personally, I couldn’t be more engaged or fulfilled. I’m volunteering, reading, working out. I have time to (more or less) track what’s happening in the city, culturally, and in our country, politically (though… I just can’t…). I’ve been out on other dates with friends, took myself to the movies, and nothing makes me happier than being home with Andrew and Parker.
It hasn’t been anything intentional, but it’s been the best start of a new decade.