Day 42 (43 and 44): Reinventing ourselves

Do we have to? Reinvent ourselves, I mean?

I keep running into that word, "reinventing," sometimes in reference to people whose jobs have disappeared in the recession, sometimes in reference to people pushing 60 -- and beyond -- deciding to chuck the careers they've stuck with for decades to explore new options.

I'm feeling a little peer pressure here.

I'm not sure whether I'm in a rut or that I simply like what I do, but I don't have a strong desire to chuck it all and start a new career. It might have something to do with the fact that I'm not really equipped to start a new career, not without some serious retraining.

And that's where I keep bumping into this notion that it might be just a wee bit late for me to be starting over.

I wish I were one of those people who look to the future without fear of failure, who see in every new day an opportunity to experience something new, who believe in their ability to reinvent themselves. But I'm not. I'm one of those people who plays it safe.

Maybe next lifetime ...