GOOD MORNING FRIENDS & VISITORS!
Welcome to Aging Abundantly’s Voices of Wisdom Series!
This series is about providing both the space and opportunity for women over fifty to tell their story and to share a bit of wisdom they gained in the process of living it. If you would like to be a guest writer, please take a look at the Writer’s Guidelines and/or reach out to me via email.
Today’s guest, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden has been enthralled with the power of story since she was a child. She grew up in a family who not only loved watching movies together but enjoyed discussing them. Another favorite family pastime was reading.
Lucinda’s interest in all things “story” led her to pursue first a B.A. and then an M.A. in theatre. She took those degrees and ran with them as a theatre artist, drama, and English teacher. In recent years, she has turned to writing her own stories. her first published book is a children’s story, Scottosaurus The Little Dinosaur
You will find Lucinda’s weekly blog on her website Sage Woman Chronicles. She is also on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and She Writes. Thank you Lucinda for sharing your story with us today.
MOVING FORWARD
by Lucinda Sage-Midgorden
“I’ve never seen any life transformation that didn’t begin with the person in question
finally getting tired of their own bullshit.”
Elizabeth Gilbert
Sometimes I get stuck in a rut but not for long. I don’t know if it’s in my DNA, the fact that we moved a lot, or just my personality but eventually there comes a time when I just grit my teeth and make a change. I do this because it is much more comfortable to change than to stay stuck. The process is still scary because it requires me to do things I’ve never done before. Yet, years of experience have taught me that moving forward is preferable to the alternative. Let me give you some examples.
When I graduated from high school, I decided to work for a while until I had a better idea of what I wanted to do with my life. The first year I joined a Peace Corps kind of group sponsored by my church. For a year I worked as a volunteer teacher’s aide at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary school in Portland, Oregon and assisted at family and youth camps teaching classes, leading campfires and the like. I learned so much about myself that year, and gain confidence, something I was desperate to find. Teaching was a blast. I loved the children and the classroom atmosphere and that set me on a lifelong path of teaching in a variety of settings.
At the age of 22 I finally enrolled in the college sponsored by the church in which I grew up. On one hand it was a fantastic experience, on another traumatic because I became a religious studies major, the only woman in the program. That caused a stir and some students tried to convince me that I needed to change my major. I’m so grateful I didn’t.
My sophomore year I found theatre and in my mind studying religious thought and theatre went hand-in-hand. Eventually, I added theatre and speech as a second major. Later I received an M.A. in theatre arts from Portland State University. Both have helped me understand human desires, motivations, frustrations, and triumphs.
After college my husband and I moved out west and became deeply involved in a congregation. However, after a few years it became clear to us that what the church wanted of us and what we wanted were two different things. Both of us felt drawn to ever deeper spiritual growth. It was a tough decision, but eventually we left organized religion all together. Doing that was the best decision of my life because now my spiritual journey doesn’t have to fit into a doctrinal box.
Still, I’ve made plenty of mistakes on my way to where I am now. I followed false paths thinking they were leading to my life’s purpose. Though it was difficult to admit I’d been mistaken, I’m not sorry I took any of them. I no longer believe life is meant to be easy.
“If you’re making mistakes it means you’re out there doing something.” ~ Neil Gaiman[tweetthis]“If you’re making mistakes it means you’re out there doing something.” ~ Neil Gaiman [/tweetthis]
When I was younger I felt like I was odd, a misfit, because we moved so much. All those people I met who had lived in one place all their lives I thought were lucky because they made lifelong friendships that sustained them through all of life’s ups and downs. I thought they knew their purpose and were completely happy. But as I grew, I discovered that wasn’t always the case.
Finally when I turned 30 and was still struggling with my identity and purpose in life, someone suggested I read The Road Less Traveled
And it has been, even during the darkest of times because all those twists and turns I took finally led me to becoming what I always wanted to be, but didn’t allow myself to pursue for all the usual reasons. Finally I’m proud to say, I’m a writer. In fact, I’m about to publish my first novel. It won’t be perfect, though I’ve worked extremely hard on it. But as Elizabeth Gilbert says in her book Big Magic “Done is better than good.” Finishing this novel and publishing it is so much better than having a file cabinet full of unpublished manuscripts because those thoughts and feelings on the pages might be just what someone else needs to help them put another piece into their life puzzle. Denying, or keeping our creativity hidden does nothing to change the world.
I don’t know if anyone will get anything of value out of my novel. That doesn’t matter because I’m already moving forward on the sequel and on a fantasy story, and my blog, and any other writing that attracts me. It seems to me that always moving forward no matter what happens is the true meaning of life.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or share with a friend.
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2016
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I loved your story Lucinda. You are certainly an empowered woman with your impressive resume and the way you look at life. I love your way of thinking – it’s better to move forward and try rather than staying stuck. Nothing ventured is certainly going to equal nothing gained. Congratulations on your upcoming novel and your children’s book, and never lose your pride over that. It’s easy as writers to have our dark moments and question whether we’re good enough, but not everyone can write and publish a book, certainly something we writers should be proud of. Nobody can please everybody all the time, so if we maintain to follow what makes us happy inside, that is all that counts.