It’s remarkable how quickly men can settle into a mid-life crisis. Like Julius Caesar weeping at the foot of the statue of Alexander the Great because he had not yet conquered the world by the age of 33, many a young man before the age of 35 feels deeply and profoundly the lack of accomplishment and grandeur in his life. Has he done enough to make a difference? Will he be remembered?
There are, of course, men who confidently settle into success later in life, but the drive to achieve fast and compound over as many years as possible convinces many men that they have failed. There are also women who feel similarly dissatisfied at the tender age of 31, but for many women, it is perhaps easier to take a long on-ramp, to approach life and career as a form of sequencing.
There are also many marvelous examples of women achieving success relatively late in life. For example, the children’s book author and illustrator Patricia Polacco did not begin working on children’s books until the age of 41 after she had already attained a PhD and spent time raising her two children.
For further inspiration, consider the charming illustrated biography of Julia Child, “Born Hungry” by her grandnephew Alex Prud’homme. As one reviewer put it: “This picture book memoir chronicles the travels, tastes, and meals that Julia Child experienced throughout her life, ultimately influencing her foray into cooking and broadcasting career as TV’s first-ever celebrity chef. One apt and popular quote, ‘I was born hungry, not a cook’ really sums up the essence of what this engaging bio is all about.”
Among many other surprising revelations, the reader learns in the books that Child did not learn how to cook until her late 30s. That should give hope to anyone floundering in his or her early adulthood.
There is undeniably great benefit to youth and its excesses. The recklessness and verve of young living has led to many great accomplishments. Settling into the mushy middle of life, where Dante became lost in the woods, we should maintain hope and cultivate perseverance in the pursuit of worthy endeavors.
As Wallace Stegner’s literary narrator remarks in “Crossing to Safety,” “Youth hasn’t got anything to do with chronological age. It’s times of hope and happiness.” No matter one’s chronological age, there is still plenty of life left to live.
