The Midlife Crisis Thread

[cmannes]

47, honestly, I’m really happy with my job/career. While “technically” I’m still at the same company, and even still working with some of the same people. In the last 20 I did bop around to a few different roles in my greater company, and have finally come full circle into a role (and a team) I really like. Also, I’ve gained a lot of respect from other teams/people, so things are good.

Where my potential crisis lies is in a lack of “me” time. I have 3 kids, 10, 7, 4. And one of them has some social-emotional developmental issues. Plus COVID. Plus parents needing help with care. Plus other parents dying. Plus someone close with cancer (they beat it!). And so right now, I really feel that I’m just working, then raising the kids, then sleeping. And filling any of the pockets of extra time with the various parental help and such.

The other day, I asked my self “what are my hobbies?” and I didn’t have a good answer. So once this latest need is resolved (I’m actually in TN for the funeral of my Mother-in-law) I’m hoping to try to start fitting in some time for myself and finding a hobby or two.

Oh, and getting back into an exercise routine. It was there, and then, I lost it. Gotta get that back.

 

[Cognac]

Being early 30s I certainly don't qualify for having a mid-life crisis. But I certainly had an early-career crisis.

I loved the content at uni, but ended up in a role that pretty much chews up anyone who takes it on, in an industry I didn't really agree with but the money was good. Only a few years in and I couldn't take it any more. My wife didn't enjoy her role either. We just decided to quit and leave the country. Ended up being away for years before coming back, and we're in a muuuuch better place now. Both mentally and employment-wise.

 

[thrillhouse]

Turned 45 this year. And this year I've lost 45 lbs, got back into biking, and taken up forging and blacksmithing. Getting my health under control was my midlife crisis, and it is going well.

That's amazing man, great job!

 

[Tom Foolery]

Turned 45 this year. And this year I've lost 45 lbs, got back into biking, and taken up forging and blacksmithing. Getting my health under control was my midlife crisis, and it is going well.

That's amazing man, great job!

Agreed, that is awesome and I, too, would like to know more about the blacksmithing/forging.

Oh, and Deedles, I found the 45lbs. you lost, if you want it back. I certainly don't.

 

[DeedlitCryogenic]

Turned 45 this year. And this year I've lost 45 lbs, got back into biking, and taken up forging and blacksmithing. Getting my health under control was my midlife crisis, and it is going well.

Nice work on the weight, Deedles!
On the forging/blacksmithing - are you doing it at home, or in a local shop?

Technically neither. . . I'm doing it at my grandparents' (residential) shop. While my grandfather didn't do any smithing, HIS father did, and I've inherited all the tools. Add an electric melt furnace, propane melt furnace, and multiburner propane forge, and I have most of what I need to do what I want to do. (Which involves making myself a chef's knife, and my SO(s) a matching set of felling axes, splitting mauls, and sledgehammers.

I also inherited half a ton of various electrical wire and powertools in "for the love of god, put me out of my misery!" condition, which is where I'm getting all my copper and aluminum.

At the moment I'm mostly making ingots and muffins in preperation for casting some bronze and brass axe-heads. I'm also casting Speculum Bronze "muffins" and gifting them to various astronomers I know. Speculum is the alloy that Newton ground his telescope mirrors out of, and was the preferred reflector metal for almost 2 centuries. It is also a YUGE PITA to work with, and most formulas don't work well with pure metal. (Various impurities break up the grain structure enough that the alloy WON'T break on cooling. Subbing in between .5 and 1.5% bismuth seems to help. Traditionally they used arsenic)

 

[Diabolical]

I’m jealous as all get out. It’s something I’ve been looking at getting into. But the closest places where I can reasonably do it / go to classes / learn about this on my own is Los Angeles, and I don’t really see myself driving an hour-plus each way to start a new hobby.

If you start a new thread about it once you really get going, I’m absolutely going to be following the hell out of that!

 

[alex182]

When I was 30 I did yet ANOTHER career change into the Merchant Marine and got out of the IT world. 15 years later I still look forward to going to work. Yes, it's 6+ months at a time at sea with no real internet and 7 day work weeks, 2 months home, then another 6+ months out but I really enjoy my job overall and it gives me the sense of accomplishment that I need to stay "sane*".

A few years ago I bought 20 acres out in Eastern, WA with a little cabin as my mid-life crisis and I love being out there.

Fortunately I managed to dodge the whole Kids thing so that makes my life MUCH easier and my wife and I have been together for longer than I've been sailing so she was transitioned into the lifestyle early.

 

[Carhole]

When I was 30 I did yet ANOTHER career change into the Merchant Marine and got out of the IT world. 15 years later I still look forward to going to work. Yes, it's 6+ months at a time at sea with no real internet and 7 day work weeks, 2 months home, then another 6+ months out but I really enjoy my job overall and it gives me the sense of accomplishment that I need to stay "sane*".

A few years ago I bought 20 acres out in Eastern, WA with a little cabin as my mid-life crisis and I love being out there.

Fortunately I managed to dodge the whole Kids thing so that makes my life MUCH easier and my wife and I have been together for longer than I've been sailing so she was transitioned into the lifestyle early.

A childhood friend of mine has been a merchant marine for many years now. He loves it. Great pay and he was always on the water whenever we were kids so I think he was lucky to find that calling so early in life.

 

[Tom the Melaniephile]

So my brother in law, who worked his ass off for five decades, finally retired last year at the age of 66. He and his wife sold their house and were getting ready to start traveling the world and enjoying retirement. Instead he came down with a bad case of metastasized cancer and has maybe five months to live, which will be spent in intense pain, eating only liquids.

This development has inspired me to reevaluate some of my plans.

For anyone having a similar realization and hasn't yet been part of the FIRE discussion:

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1426777