wall of midlife crisis. when did you hit it and how did you make it thru. edited...

[samplegirl]

59. Mine seemed to kick in early

around 42. I felt a real sense of my youth slipping faster than anyone could imagine. Next came the sports car which I felt I always wanted and if I didn't get it then I never would. I had never worked outside the home and really did very little living for myself. I was the youngest of 4 siblings who all had careers. So everyone ran from the aging parents except me so I cared for my father till his passing. At age 80 I moved my mother in with us. I was the stay at home mother who cooked, cleaned on top of clean and ran my only child to wherever all while caring for my mom at age 80 the next 10 years. My husband worked two jobs everyday........his families business and factory job. Neither which has paid off. Family business (Garden Center) could not compete with Walmart and his 31 years in the factory was terminated in June of 2012. By the time I was 48 I was suffering empty nest as both my mother passed and daughter left that same year.
Grieved over not only what I did not accomplish but found myself wondering how to reinvent myself at age 49. By age 50 I went back to a vocational school and finished the next year. It did not pay off either. Never did find employment in my field. Today I am working part-time and seeking full time employment because my husband has not found work. Aging has been hard because we burned ourselves out hoping to be able to retire early which looks like a complete impossibility now. So you learn to be very grateful of each day and each moment with those you love.