One of my favorite authors is Sue Monk Kidd.The first book I read of hers was The Secret Life of Bees, almost 20 years ago (and I highly recommend her newest, The Book of Longings.) Just before my 50th birthday this winter, I picked up When the Heart Waits, which she wrote in 1990 (I was a freshman in college!) well before she was ever famous. Here is the quote from the inside jacket, which compelled me to buy the book:
“I was standing on the shifting ground of midlife, having come upon that time in life when one is summoned to an inner transformation, to a crossing over from one identity to another. When change-winds swirl through our lives, especially in midlife, they often call us to undertake a new passage of the spiritual journey: that of confronting the lost self – our true self. They call us to come home to ourselves to become who we really are.”
Sue Monk Kidd, When the Heart Waits
Talk about synchronicity! The notion of liminal space keeps popping up for me in unexpected places, even when it’s not called that. Kind of like when you buy a new car and you notice all of a sudden it seems every other person is driving the same vehicle.
The chapter “Crisis as Opportunity” provided the most succinct explanation for why we find ourselves in liminal space. Personally, the word “crisis” signals danger or stress for me. I really don’t like the word. But Kidd points out that “a crisis is a holy summons to cross a threshold. It involves both a leaving behind and a stepping toward…a separation and an opportunity.”
This photo was taken in Neskowin a couple of days ago. Neskowin is a little beach I’ve been visiting since I was a young kid, but this past weekend we happened to be on the south side of the creek. It was my first time on the south end of Neskowin beach in 30+ years and it felt synchronous to discover this keyhole in Proposal Rock. I’m captured by the imagery of this photo for crossing a threshold.