I take a grad class on Tuesday nights and each week I find myself looking forward to talking to my classmate Julia as we walk back to the parking lot together after class. Julia is warm, engaging, bright – she’s one of those people you immediately click with. A wise woman, for sure.
Julia and I met a few months ago in our intro counseling class. While I’m already enrolled in the counseling degree program, Julia is still deciding whether she wants to embark on a new degree/professional path. During our walks, she’s shared a little with me about her see-sawing thoughts and emotions about that decision.
The question that hangs in the air – Is it too late to start over?
Ask psychologist Douglas LaBier, and he’ll say absolutely not!
LaBier wrote Lulled into Numbness, an article on midlife transitions for the Health section of The Washington Post. He talked about how 30/40-somethings trap themselves into a numbing existence because they think they cannot dramatically change things up later in life. And how, really, the possibility of change (large or small) can and should be on the table at every point in our lives. It’s a worthwhile read!
Now, from what little I know, my classmate Julia’s life seems far from numbing. She’s got a great job, people who care, and a zest for life. Should Julia switch gears and completely restructure her life to become a counselor? I have no idea. (Although, for the record, I think she’d be a fabulous at it.)
What I do know is that Julia is meeting life head on as she wrestles with this question. Whichever way she decides, she’ll be a wiser person for having gone through the process.
There’s only a month left in the semester, 4 more times I’ll get to walk with Julia after class. I will be sad when we get into our respective cars for the last time and wave good-bye. But, thoughts of Julia and her courage will remain with me regardless of whether our paths cross again …
