Generation X'er Tells It Like It Is: Spring Fever
Generation X is the moniker applied to those born after the Baby Boomers and preceding the Millennials.
This series features the musings of a proud member of this generation.
Part Seven: Spring Fever
The Vernal Equinox occurs annually around March 20th, and it marks the first official day of spring. One of two days in the year when day and night are of equal length, those of us who fall into somewhat of a funk in the winter months eagerly await the first flower buds or the initial growth of leaves on the trees. Springtime has always been a period of renewal, of resurgence. It’s also when most of us decide to clean out our closets, literally and metaphorically, from things that no longer serve a purpose for us or that are no longer beneficial to our lives.
For years now, once the first day of winter rolls around in mid-December, I already begin counting down the days until spring. That time of darkness and cold is when we hunker down and stay within the confines of home, where we are comfortable and feel safe. Even animals that hibernate or leave their habitats in the winter patiently wait for those first signs of spring.
Once the start of Spring hits, we get back our zest for life! We are ready to shake off all that sadness and get back that vim and vigor that was dormant for three months. Many of us are ready to begin new projects and endeavors or once again take up the old ones that were put off to the side. In fact, I’m doing some spring cleaning of my own, so to speak. After much thought, this will be my final A Gen X’er column, as well as my final piece for Herself360, so you could call this my springtime swan song.
My dear readers, it’s always been my mission as a writer to share stories that inspire, embolden, encourage, inform, and entertain. When I came on board last fall, Cathie and Lyvia gave me a tremendous opportunity. In my conversations with Cathie over email and on the phone even before I officially started writing articles, she was open to my idea for this series. As I sent her my finished pieces, she seemed to trust my choice of topics, embracing and publishing every article that I wrote. Over the last six months and seven issues, my goal was always to share what I intended to be the voice of a generation that, in some eyes, has entered the winter phase of their lives. I tried to share that wisdom and intelligence that is now being passed along to their children. Writing about those trials and tribulations, and picking the topics that I did, I felt that something truly blossomed in me. It was quite cathartic and healing, because I was able to put to paper (or screen) several painful events from my life that I felt I couldn’t previously share with a mass audience. As the theme states, I desired to put my life in my writing of these lifestyle pieces.
Not too long ago, I realized that I was ready to step away from this platform in my pursuit of new opportunities and other avenues for my work, and while I am excited to make this leap, as I announced on my social media accounts, it is bittersweet. I planted roots here, and in that patch grew the loveliest blooms. Now, I must leave them behind and plant new seeds someplace else, which will now fully flourish in a different garden.
With the end of every bitterly cold winter, where introspection is often what’s desired and necessary, comes that promise of spring, where warmth, fertility, and vitality are on the horizon. I wholeheartedly feel that I have accomplished what I have set out to do here: to share my strong voice. By doing so, I wanted to give someone else that sense of hope and support; to show them that they are not alone. More than anything, I wanted to light that fire that lives within all of us.
No one ever said life was easy. You always have to roll with the punches, even though you may be terrified. You may be resistant or feel that you aren’t ready to make those all important changes. You may want to hibernate for a few more months, but there’s no time like the present to throw open those windows and let in that fresh air! This is what I must do and I am taking those steps.
To Cathie and Lyvia, thank you for letting me be a part of your team of wonderful writers for this magazine. I wish you all the best of luck and I hope you keep sharing your lives with these readers. They need to continue to receive these messages and learn from everyone’s experiences. They need a friendly shoulder to lean on, a reason to laugh when they can’t, a need to cry when they must.
Of course, to all of you, the devoted readers, although I never met you face to face, it truly has been a pleasure and a privilege to share these tales with you. I fervently hope that you keep reading the stories that these ladies have poured their hearts and souls into, just as I did (and will always do) for mine.
Whether you’re 28, 40, 57, or 75; a Gen X’er, a Millennial, or a Baby Boomer, regardless of your age or phase in life, don’t ever be afraid to take on something new or make changes.
BIO: Katy Kostakis’ loquacious nature and