The Midlife Butterfly Journal

Midlife Travel as a Rite of Passage

Did you go backpacking at 18 or in your 20s? Or maybe you missed out? For many, that adventure is almost expected — a rite of passage before university or starting...

At 54, I’ve learned that time is a bit of a trickster, you can’t quite catch the pace it feels.

Tik tok.
It sometimes feels like it speeds up, other times it feels like it has slowed down. But, did y...

Call me crazy, but honestly — there are moments on the road, and in life, when you just know you’re being guided.

Not something like a perfectly timed shooting star… though that sounds pretty cool......

There’s a kind of magic in the women we meet on the road.
They may begin with a casual hello, but then something deeper happens — you move from surface-level chats to real, open-hearted conversations....

 Some may call me selfish for my wanderings, but when I’m out on my own, there’s a peace it brings me. I’m not even consciously seeking it… but eventually, it arrives. Maybe it’s because the noise has...

I’ve landed in Morocco.

I’ve been here a week — and something in me has already loosened.
I’m already into the vibe here, and I’ve got the biggest smile on my face.
Changing countries, routines, and ...

 I was in a conversation the other day, and someone mentioned The Wizard of Oz — one of my all-time favourite films. And just like that, I said, “Oh, I wish I had those ruby red slippers so I could cl...

There’s a moment in midlife where everything begins to shift — but not all at once.

For me, it started quietly. I thought I was just tired. I didn’t want to go out anymore. I made excuses, like “I’m ...

A friend recently asked me if I was afraid of what’s next.
To be honest, that thought lingers in the background sometimes. So I paused and asked myself… am I afraid?

Sure, I can feel afraid of not...

There’s a familiar scene that keeps repeating in my life lately:

A small room. A half-zipped backpack. My laptop balancing on a bed or a makeshift desk. A passport pouch tucked safely away, checked o...

Friendships and relationships — near or far — are fundamental to who we are. This becomes especially true in midlife, when so many roles and routines shift.

Think of all the people in your life — ...

I was just lying here, looking at the stretch marks on the inside of my thigh. Funny, really—they’ve been there since I was 14.

At first, I hated them. That’s a strong word, but it’s true. They made ...