Weekend Reads
Six recent essays by midlife women on Substack
It’s July 4th here in upstate New York. I’ll be traveling this weekend and then on vacation next week.
I want to leave you with a collection of six essays by midlife writers who posted in our weekly
share thread. We’ve developed a close-knit supportive community on , and if you haven’t joined us already and you write on Substack, consider this your personal invitation. And participate in our Weekly Share thread!You can also submit your Substack to be included in our Midstack Directory, a library of Substacks by and for midlife women. Submit your publication HERE.
1. “Women are finally entering their Thor era” by of
“I think one of the bravest things we can do is learn to love ourselves, learn to appreciate ourselves, and learn to find the beauty in our bodies... It doesn’t matter if you’re an Olympian or you’re not. My body type is beautiful, is worthy, okay? Yes, it’s bigger than what’s considered beautiful in society, but there is beauty in it.”
2. “You’re Not My Mother” by of
“When do I stop going back for more? When do I give up the dream, the fantasy of having the mother I deserve? The good-enough mother. When do I say it’s over? When do I draw my line in the sand and finally tell her I can’t go back, and I won’t go back? When do I say to myself, “give up, let go, surrender? You’re never, ever going to get what you want from this woman who delivered you into the world.”
3. “Please Enjoy This Holiday Card” by of the
“Let’s pretend, against better judgment, that this is a normal holiday letter chock-full of unreasonably upbeat retellings of events that barely qualify as events.”
4. “falling: a diary of my mother’s stubborn resistance to help help” by of
“About a month ago Ellen fell. In her room. She was fine but not okay.
I received a call from the owner of her assisted living (whom I’m calling Mr. Rendo) telling me that she had fallen onto her face. She’d been given Ibuprofen and was resting in bed. Here is what I thought…”
5. “Leading a Creative Midlife” by of Revel + Verve
“I want to lead a creative life. I want to have a regular creative practice. I want time in my day to shut off my brain, quiet my overly-articulate life where I literally narrate what I’m doing as I do it (I’ve been known to tell my partner that I’m going to the bathroom when we’re both home, doing nothing much. Instead of just going upstairs to the bathroom! Why???), and get lost in a creative activity. I want to let go. Worrying that what I create could be misunderstood by others keeps me from fully letting go. It keeps me from creating with zero expectations. It adds pressure.”
6. “Imagine” by of
“I realized last week that becoming a caregiver has had a similar effect on my life: now that I’m aware of how many people need assistance, the whole world looks different.”
Thank you so much, Jessica!
I read this one last week, and it's totally worth sharing. Susan is a fabulous, fabulous writer. @ModernMythology.
https://modernmythology.substack.com/p/three-days-between-the-worlds