Eric J. Perkins
There was a time when the phrase “midlife crisis” may have conjured images of expensive sports cars, scandalous affairs, or perhaps simply a dedicated commitment to couch potatoism. Those tropes have changed with Generation X as we move solidly into middle age.
Though the new aches and pains are very real, this health-conscious generation means it when we say, “50 is the new 40.” It’s a generation of fewer smokers and more exercisers. It can’t afford to retire early and live a life of leisure. It needs its midlife crisis as much as any other but wants to be smart about it.
One of my more ambitious friends has been learning to play the bass guitar and is almost single-handedly bringing back the lost art of making neon signs (he’s an overachiever). Another friend took up model trains and fishing. My midlife crisis has manifested in a few ways, but what got me labeled by a Gen Z colleague as “the most interesting person” she’d ever met was parkour. Parkour, or freerunning, involves getting from point A to point B as efficiently as possible, often going over, under, or through various obstacles in your path.
I hadn’t even considered parkour until I was picking up my daughter from her parkour class at Beech Street Center. My friend, Tony, was there and asked if I was going to the adult class. I’m sure I looked incredulous. But he assured me that the class was mostly middle-aged folks like us. So, I signed up for the next session through Belmont Recreation. That was two years ago. I’ve since completed five full courses.
I figured parkour would be a good workout—there’s a lot of jumping, swinging, and running. What I did not anticipate was how mental and emotional a challenge it could be. Choosing the fastest route can be difficult, and some of the vaults and jumps our instructors ask us to attempt are truly scary. But we do attempt them, and sometimes, we actually succeed!
There’s also a practical benefit for us old-timers. Parkour teaches you to fall safely. Last autumn, jogging the trails around Rock Meadow, I tripped on a root. I instinctively curled into a parkour “bail” and managed to avoid falling flat on my face and sustaining an injury. I ran the remaining two miles home, grateful to Coach Nat for teaching me what to do, when the ground came rushing at me unexpectedly.
Parkour might not be your thing, but perhaps Belmont Recreation holds the key to your smart midlife crisis. Maybe it’s archery, or Tai Chi, or painting. Even if you don’t like activity, you’ll meet new people, and making new friends as a middle aged person is hard! Good luck signing up for pickleball, though. Those classes fill up fast.
Looking for the answer to your midlife crisis? Check out the Belmont Recreation website at: https://belmontma.myrec.com/info/default.aspx.
Eric J. Perkins writes about Gen X for The Belmont Voice. When he’s not vaulting over brick walls, he’s the Director of Transformation at Addgene, a life sciences nonprofit in Watertown.
Editor’s Note: Coming next week: Elissa Ely writes about reconnecting with lost colleagues. Columnists were chosen through a competitive process. If you have a topic that could be of interest, please email jfloyd@belmontvoice.org.