Awakening Spring in Autumn: Opportunities and Challenges of Women and Men at Mid-Life

We are living in unprecedented times especially with the threat of Covid-19. The impact is at our doorsteps and in close proximity. It is not restricted to Silicon Valley or Wall Street. The boundaries between race, nationality, age, geo-politics, and ideologies have crumbled. The effort towards developing a vaccine around the world reminds us of an old story about paradoxical intent in the laying of new rails to repair old railroad tracks. Some people are working in front of the repair car laying the rails. Where do they get the rails? They get them from the pile of rails that were just torn up and are now stacked up at the back of the car. Are we similarly working backwards in our efforts to stem the tide of a pandemic virus?

As the effort unfolds, we fear the possibility that pandemics are being created or at least poorly managed by leaders for political leverage. We yearn for belonging, closeness, interaction, and a hug—yet we are quarantined far away from our loved ones, with shrinking feasibility of travel, communal prayer or even a hospital visit. Technology is trying hard to bring life and business back to a new normal, yet we feel alien trying to comprehend the change right in front of us. News is flooded with numbers and images we do not wish to see. Our relatives speak of job-related uncertainties, financial challenges, and schooling for their children. We hear of hospitals where ventilators are being taken away from some patients in order to serve a more important group. We feel helplessness and hopeless when trying to understand and relate to our political systems. We find only the selfishness and cluelessness of our leaders. Where do we find our space for retreat? Where is our sanctuary? How do we sustain ourselves and help others? This book addresses various shades of turmoil one might face and many ways one can renew the spirit of resilience and growth. Though written prior to the COVID-19 crisis, this book is about NOW.