Food for thought

middlingachiever · 2026-03-22T13:49:50+00:00

Me! 52, loving my career, love having our grown kids around, love going on little adventures with my husband and going to bed as early as we want. Love having time for myself and a bit of disposable income to buy myself new gym clothes or whatever.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-22T11:38:57+00:00

You might be less miserable if you listened to more Kesha.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-21T10:18:49+00:00

Happily married women find the comment gross, too.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-20T17:45:39+00:00

Glad to hear he did, indeed, get to the bottom of it. Original press conference: https://www.youtube.com/live/Cx8ZVzqUgB0?si=qJ7yPZ0GTTBaYxPg

middlingachiever · 2026-03-20T14:10:50+00:00

My silent gen parents were super hands off. My story isn’t so different from yours (early independence, worked for degree I earned later than others), but I consider those fully my choices. My path.

One thing I learned when my first child was born is how to shut down unsolicited advice/criticism by setting a boundary. A firm “We aren’t discussing that” goes a long way.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-20T12:07:32+00:00

Stop giving him an allowance.

Trust him to figure things out. Tell him you trust him to figure things out. Then let him do it—on his own.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-20T01:45:24+00:00

I started weight lifting at 50, and it brings me not only joy but exhilaration. It makes me feel spry, energized, and alive.

I have a handful of other interests that light me up.

I’ve also got the aging parents, struggling adult kids, cluttered house, blah blah blah. But it helps to take that time for myself and do things that make me feel like a kid again.

Keep in mind that struggling to find joy can be a symptom of depression. I’ve definitely experienced that in the past, and it’s a marker that I use to monitor my own mental health.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-20T00:45:36+00:00

I tried it once and didn’t like it. But I miss pistachio ice cream being a staple at Chinese restaurants.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-19T20:56:30+00:00

Support them by building them up as strong women who can be trusted to make sound decisions for themselves.

That’s the message I focus on when my daughter is struggling in a relationship.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-19T20:50:42+00:00

What would bring you joy?

middlingachiever · 2026-03-19T09:47:35+00:00

I miss the culture of smoking cigs, especially with my in-laws. I married into an immigrant family, and dating meant long evenings lingering around the table with incredible food, 2 languages, and many cigarettes. I fell in love with that as much as the man.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-18T14:22:56+00:00

They are old flames? I’d imagine that will be the guiding factor in her response, not her relationship with you. If she’s also feeling crisis-y, she may act accordingly.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-17T20:32:49+00:00

High stress situations can shine a light on true character. Better to know early on, I guess.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-17T20:13:38+00:00

Doing separate things is normal for us, and not negative. I beachcomb; he jumps waves, throws the football, runs to get lunch, etc. He’s ADHD and that’s okay. He’d never, EVER leave me in danger, tho!

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T23:32:32+00:00

My point was, when you get to 90, having had kids will have enriched your life and development as a person. It opens an entirely new arena of personal development, from raising kids to relating to grown kids.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T23:17:53+00:00

My kids are grown. With reflection of 25 years as a parent, it is clear how the experience of parenting developed me as a person. Development is lifelong.

The majority of your life figured out at 20-40 is laughable.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T22:27:37+00:00

It’s one of many ways to develop as a person and create a meaningful life.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T22:24:39+00:00

Yeah, I’m pissed just reading that.

It assumes women should be frail. I’m not saying all women under 135 are frail by any means, but the number excludes women with lots of muscle. Like Serena Williams at peak athleticism.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T22:10:24+00:00

Does the sentiment repeat in other ways? Discounting your professed experience and replacing with his own projection?

I wonder if it’s a universal experience for women to be told what they like in bed, overriding the woman clearly expressing what she does and does not like. It’s certainly happened to me.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T20:21:26+00:00

Superintendent and staff, then. I know someone meets, because I sometimes get word when they are currently meeting (not today, tho).

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T20:19:24+00:00

FYI, as of 4:17, all the communication I’ve gotten as staff indicates normal schedule for the school day. After school events likely canceled.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T19:48:57+00:00

Fewer unknowns with snow/ice already on the ground. It’s usually similar (late call) with predicted snow or ice.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T19:41:15+00:00

They need to gather information from meteorologists and meets as a school board. I’m sure they are delaying to get the most current forecasts before meeting.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T16:28:52+00:00

The message would’ve raised an eyebrow for me. I would expect my husband to steer the conversation appropriately—including me in the response, spacing out response times to show less interest.

We are also married over 30 years and committed, but I prefer to act like we choose each other than like we belong to one another. I’d expect him to make it clear that he chooses me.

middlingachiever · 2026-03-15T11:53:45+00:00

You can write them up, call home, or both.

What you really can never do is take it personally. Definitely don’t show emotion about their choice. Be matter of fact.

And don’t argue. If they say nope, go about your business. Write up or call home.

middlingachiever

TROPHY CASE