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Writer's pictureConnie Mason Michaelis

Liminal, the Time In-between

Excerpt from Daily Cures, Wisdom for Healthy Aging by Connie Mason Michaelis



I was introduced to a new word while reading Chip Conley’s book, Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder. The word is liminal or liminality, and it comes from the Latin word limen, meaning “threshold---any point or place of entering or beginning.” A liminal space is a time between the what was and the what is next. It is a place of transition, waiting, and not knowing. Have you ever felt you were in-between or in transition? Certainly, those who have lost jobs, ended relationships, or have become empty nesters can identify. It can be very unsettling and may lead to a sense of hopelessness. The in-between space is dark and cavernous at times. Think of the period of time between the caterpillar and the butterfly---it is liminal; it is the chrysalis.


Elders find themselves in this space. After retirement, it takes time to reinvent oneself and figure out who we are without a career or the regular routines that have guided our lives. The life that ran on rails for 40+ years has no track to run on now, and it may even feel like the end of a productive life. But just as the caterpillar has a new life waiting inside, so do we have amazing potential to have our very best years ahead. The secret is in our attitude. If we are done, so to speak, we probably are. As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t---you’re right!” Are you open to new ideas and new adventures? Rather than feeling pressured to make something happen, we might just open our hearts and minds to the idea of what’s next. If we believe the caterpillar doesn’t have to plan its emergence as a butterfly, perhaps we could trust the same source of life to work for us. Liminal space is where all transformation takes place if we learn to wait and let it form us.


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