My Third Act

The alchemy of a changing life is the only truth. ~ Rumi

Jane Fonda's book, My Life So Far, focused on the first part of her life and looked ahead to what she called her "third act".  According to Fonda, Acts I and II of a play can feel confusing then Act III brings it all together for us. She defined the third act as ages 60 to 90.

I'm not quite 60, but I officially moved into my third act at 4:30 p.m. yesterday on what would have been my mother's 91st birthday and five days before my own 57th birthday. I physically felt the transition. Although I admire Fonda tremendously, I don't think about her that often and I haven't read her book, but I literally thought to myself, I have moved into my third act. What could have been the worst day of my life to date seemed more like the last day of school before summer vacation.

Despite a life of continual flux, it never felt that it was a life moving forward. I was only moving. The search for answers, closure, and satisfaction may have prevented me from actually being present in my life. The answers, the closure, the satisfaction may have come from accepting that my life was about change, about the flux. 

My third act will start as a 57-year-old overweight female looking for a job. I will be a 57-year-old female with acute and chronic medical problems who will not be covered by medical insurance. Talk about walking the high wire! I will be searching for a job in the worst economy of my lifetime. Life is one big curve ball, isn't it?

My third act will be the last one so I want to get it right. I feel an incredible amount of excitement. Maybe it is shock. Maybe it is denial. Maybe it is exactly what it is suppose to be. I am anxious to see how it is going to turn out.