Everyone needs a reason to get up in the morning.

If the galloping housewife had to declare the meaning of life, it would be that everyone needs a reason to get up in the morning. 

It can’t be your work. It’s true that we need some stuff and some money and that if we don’t have the stuff and the money we need, then we’re going to have to continue to dedicate as much energy as required to create that. But even if we don’t have what we need covered just yet, we still have to have a reason to get up in the morning beyond making stuff and money. 

It can’t be your role in life. The mother, the partner, the housekeeper, the committee member, the volunteer, the support person, the friend. Too many women base their entire identity and purpose on what they do for others. What happens when that season of your life ends, or you’re no longer needed? You can gain satisfaction from service without it being your whole reason for being. 

It can’t be tied to an outcome. Goals and ambitions are important to have. We need hope and motivation to keep expanding and exploring our capabilities. Work towards a qualification, a bigger bank balance, a nicer home, a new level of achievement in sport or education, a promotion, a number on the scale or winning a trophy you covet. Yet a destination is either reached or not and either way you’re left with nothing.

The true crisis of middle age is the realisation that our work, our roles, our goals are meaningless without meaning. A reason to get up in the morning that is ours and ours alone, that is not dependant on anyone else or external validation.

You need to have a hobby. Something you do for no other justification than you want to. Something that excites you, that challenges you, that interests you. Something that gives you a reason to get up in the morning. 

The next time someone asks you why you ride, tell them it’s because you need a reason to get up in the morning.

That’s the only explanation you need to give.