“Remember, courage is not the absence of fear, it is the conquest of it. Not until you dare to attack will you master your fears.”

William H. Danforth, 1931

It’s never easy to make a change. Status quo is like a big, fat easy-chair next to a roaring fire. It’s what we know. It’s comfortable.

But after awhile, even the cushiest chair leaves us stiff and achy. Our limbs beg to be stretched. And we yearn to see and experience more.

It’s time to get up and move on to the next thing.

I’ve spoken with a number of friends lately who are at a crossroads between the way life has been since they had their first child half a decade ago and this new stage of motherhood that involves parent-teacher conferences, drop-off birthday parties, and ballet recitals.

In many ways, our children need us more than ever. But it’s a different kind of need than that of a newborn or toddler. I guess we’re all just becoming a little bit more independent — kids and parents, alike.

In my circle of “post-toddlerhood” mothers, most of us seem to be feeling the need to redefine ourselves and branch out into new roles and responsibilities extending beyond the sweet little family that we continue to love and nurture.

We may not always know what the next road will look like, and we may even question whether or not we’re up to the task. But we’re feeling something stir within.

The funny thing is – it doesn’t seem to matter whether we took time off to stay home or continued in our jobs after starting a family. We’ve got the itch to DO something – different.

It may take months or even years to figure out what that something is. But I think that as long as we’re listening intently to that inner voice — it will come.

And then, the next step involves that thing called, “courage.”