Kara S. Anderson


Connection, Not Perfection


Figuring out this midlife thing through:

 

- writing 

- journaling

- stickers

- paint

 - caffeine

- and a lot of cats


Wondering about this weird, wonderful time, after the kids
 grow up, and all of a sudden, we can just take naps?


You're in the right, place, Baby.

I am so glad you are here, friend!

I'm Kara, and this is my little corner of the Internet.

Here I am in my actual Physical favorite place, though.


My front porch.


I've spent A LOT of time on this porch during the past two years, trying to figure out, ya know, midlife stuff.


Like, what do I want to be when I grow up, and how do you Mom when kids have beards and apartments and do we have enough cat food?


I should probably order more cat food.



So, this is Midlfe, huh?


For a while now, I've been on a bit of a sabbatical. A hiatus, you might call it.

I've been working to figure things out.

A lot changed at once here, and it was a little bit bumpy for a minute.

The kids grew up. I had more time. I wanted to write again, but, you know - a girl's got to pay the bills.


Figuring Out Stuff in Your 40s


I used to write a lot about my life, before ...

But then, I just decided it all felt too hard.

I told everyone I was going underground for a minute - and at first that was under a blanket with 1-2 cats, and then it was out to my porch, and now, just recently, it's my Batcave - what I call my office.


The Messy Middle Bit


See, I didn't want to share the messy middle bit.

It was unpolished and kind of hard, to be honest.

I kept saying it was too raw.

It was cruidté, and I wanted to give you a nourishing vegetable soup.


But here's the thing - 
we need to talk about the messy middle bit.


There is So MUCH Beauty in the Mess +
Beauty in the Middle


I didn't see this right away.

I mean, I was hiding under a blanket.

But now I know.


Transitions in Midlife


Now I know that many, many of us in our 40s face big life transitions.


Maybe, we have kids who grow up.

Maybe, we change jobs or whole careers.

Maybe we get divorced or we get married. (Maybe both.)

Maybe we start caring for an aging parent.

Maybe, we just sweat a lot and finally start telling people what we think.


Let's Get Into It


I am not Al and you are not Sam.

(Quantum Leap Reference  - #timely!)


I don't want to think of myself as any kind of guide.

I am actually just like you - just a lady, trying to figure it out.


But I think finally, *maybe* I recently figured out a big thing:


We don't have to go through this stage of life alone.


In fact, the best thing we can do is talk about it.


Hi!


I'm Kara.


And this is me in my Batcave, where I write to you.


I have almost no cool gadgets, except for my fancy three-hole punch robot.


Other than that, it's a little analog over here. I love journals and pens and stickers and Washi tape.


I love writing with the windows open, and a mug of tea close by.


I know that right now, things may feel a little overwhelming and also desperately hard. Maybe you feel like everyone else has it figured out ...


They don't, and that's why we need to be honest about messy midlife transitions.


I'm glad you're here, and we've got this.

Where the beauty is

My favorite place to write is on my Substack, called Where the Beauty Is.


It's a little raw and real - kind of like this photo of my BFF George and me.


I started it one Friday, on a whim, but after two years of thinking about it, because I've realized that overthinking has been getting in my way for a long time.


I'm grateful to each and every one of you who reads, and if you subscribe, you get posts sent right to your email, so you don't miss anything.

Readers Say


Kara's site is calm, simple and informative for real life.  I didn't feel like I needed to change everything or that I was inadequate when I finished reading all her blog entries. I didn't feel alone.


Deneen


I appreciate Kara's openness and raw honesty mixed with humor, and her ability to write like she's speaking personally to her readers. Her posts are such high quality AND infrequent enough that every single one is a must-read-every-word for me.


Jennifer

© 2024, Kara Stephenson Anderson