A is For Let's Begin

this post is also linked today with Talking About It Tuesdays hosted by Joanne at Slices of Life

Hello readers and welcome to April. I'm blogging through the alphabet this month in the A-Z Blog Challenge (go here for more info) and my theme this year is life lessons learned. These first few letter posts are likely to be short and sweet as I'm in charge of small humans this week while their parents soak up the sun. It doesn't leave a lot of room for writing. 

On to Day 1-

We've been going a million miles an hour here in recent months days and I've been running to catch up with my life. I'm taking this month to regroup a little and write about some of the things I've learned in the season I'm in right now. 

A is for Authenticity

Before I talk for a month about this chapter? season? stage of life? I need a name for it. I'm going with third act because there's a kindness to that moniker I find appealing. Middle age is unofficially from about ages 40-60 and the third act begins around retirement or age 60/65. I'm in that demographic and I'm going to own it. How's that for authentic lol? 

I read somewhere that authenticity means erasing the gap between what you firmly believe on the inside and what you reveal to the outside world. Genuine, trustworthy, real. 

The world in 2025 is divided, and not just a little bit. While this is awful on so many levels, one positive thing that's come out of it for me is the desire to look at my life, and both examine and acknowledge which side of 'the line' I'm on regarding any number of issues. There's sadly no middle ground on most things and you'll be judged no matter which way you fall. 

I don't care. 

I'm not sure my younger self would have said that because I've always hated disappointing people or making someone mad. I do what I can to avoid causing discord, friction, or anger in my relationships, yet in this third act I feel a sense of urgency to speak truth and worry less about how it's received.  

Of course I want my speech to be gentle in tone, but in a world where we're bombarded with half-truths, untruths, and truths stretched to fit a particular narrative (so dishearteningly prevalent in the Christian community at present) well, sometimes a little righteous anger is justified. 

 

Things that not so long ago were considered to be issues of morality are now dubbed 'political'. For me, as a Christian, every issue we face in society today is spiritual. Everything for me comes back to what the Creator of the universe has said and there isn't a single topic we bicker about that isn't addressed in God's word. 

Of course not everybody agrees as to the veracity of the Bible, but here's me being authentically me...I do. I believe in its inerrancy, and if I'm going to live my 'third act' in an upside down world I am for sure going to hold every issue up to what God has to say about it, and plant my feet there. 

Twenty five years ago the lines between left and right, liberal and conservative, whatever you want to call it, were often blurry. Many shades of gray. You could have a foot in both camps without too much trouble, without anyone calling you out on it, which made for a more civil society, but perhaps a less honest one. 

I don't know if it's due to age or the times in which we live, but I want the people I love to know where I land on matters of eternal importance. 

Do I want to discuss it on Facebook? Nope. Can anything truly be discussed on Facebook? I mean yes we can discuss places to eat and travel and hike and where to get your car detailed, but when it comes to 'hot button topics social media feels a lot like an echo chamber these days. 

Now do I want to have a cup of tea or sit around the fire or float in the lake and talk about the most important things happening in this world and what comes after, then yes. Definitely yes. 

Real life is where its at. 

Says someone with a blog. Which I know seems ironic or maybe inauthentic, but I'm not trying to solve the problems of the world here, tell you how to vote, or make a judgement on your intelligence, all things I've experienced on Facebook.  

What I've always wanted my blog to be is a space where people can share the everyday ordinary moments of living, whatever season they're in, and feel less alone in a sometimes harsh, and often cruel, world. 

I'm not here pretending the deep dark black hole known as 'politics' doesn't exist. 

It's just that everyone's out there trying to figure out what to make for dinner. They're putting up their Christmas trees, and reading great or mediocre books, and driving carpools, and trying to not gain weight while also enjoying a new chocolate cake recipe they tried. 

They're knitting and scrubbing the grout and painting the bedroom and trying to get a baby to sleep through the night. Running 5 K's, growing cucumbers, buying birthday presents and any number of the smallest of things that add up to make a very big life. 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, and not for men." 

Colossians 3:23

Did I say this would be short and sweet? It seems like it's neither so let's wrap up. I'm me. If we meet in real life I'm the person whose voice you hear when you read my blog. And in my third act I'm finding it's easier to be me than in all the seasons that have come before.