Midlife Musings May

Life Lately, Beauty as Healing, Ask A Therapist, Offerings

Welcome to your May edition of Midlife Musings!

I’m delighted to be back in your inbox with this month’s blend of insight and encouragement. This edition is designed to inspire and encourage a pause. So I invite you to carve out a little time for it. Light a candle, make a cup of iced tea, and settle in.

Inside this month’s edition, you’ll find:

• Life Lately – A peek into my world and current inspirations

• Reflections on Beauty & Healing – The fragility of a peony

• Ask A Therapist Q&A – How to stay present in the overwhelm

• Offerings – Support for your midlife journey

As shared in this welcome post, each month I share reflections tailored to this stage of life plus weekly episodes of Tranquility du Jour Season 2 which wraps on my 52nd birthday, June 30!

Looking for even more support? The paid subscription is overflowing with resources! Here’s what current paid subscribers are saying:

Now let’s begin. Take a deep breath, open your heart, and join me for our 16th edition.

PS I hope you enjoyed your previous Midlife Musings newsletters and have a chance to peruse additional posts waiting for you here, too.

PPS Clicking the heart at the top or bottom of this email makes it easier for others to find Midlife Musings. 💗 Oh, and it also warms my heart!

Life Lately: A Peek Inside

Please join me in taking a pause to consider your own life lately: highlights, observations, and challenges.

What I’m working on:

• Creating space: physically decluttering and emotionally releasing

• Practicing variations for next month’s International Adult Ballet Festival

• Ongoing healing journey: acupuncture, therapy, PT, journaling, rest

• Paris planning rituals: noting cafés to visit, keeping up with Duolingo, dreaming en français

What I’m loving:

• Peony season = swoon

• Snail mail magic sealed with washi tape

• Mookie the pug’s resilience which reminds me daily to savor our time left

• Paris dreaming (I have news to share . . . soon!)

• Satin pillowcases and lavender linen spray to elevate bedtime

What I’m consuming:

• Microgreens and fresh strawberries from the farmers’ market

• Read You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (loved!)

• Reading A Life of One’s Own by Joanna Biggs and Peak Mind by Amishi Jha

What I’m wearing:

• A thrifted straw basket bag, a mesh string bag, and this blush one for farmers’ maket, office, and grocery store jaunts

• A floaty midi dress that looks like wallpaper (shown above)

• Gold hoops, black ballet flats, and red lipstick—midlife armor and artistry

What I’m noticing:

• The bluejay (mentioned in last month’s musings) who returned to my garden this week

• That I don’t need to have it all figured out to take the next tiny step

• The deep calm that follows a DC downpour

• How quiet mornings and slow starts soothe my nervous system

Here’s a peek at my April in Review.

Now, your turn. What are you working on, loving, consuming, wearing, and noticing? Spend some time with your journal and check in. Your soul will thank you!

Beauty as Healing

Reflections on pausing and peonies.

On a recent afternoon walk, I paused to smell a blooming peony. Its soft petals and delicate scent pulled me in. Just for a moment, I was still. Something about it asked to be noticed.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how midlife asks us to pay attention. Not in big, dramatic ways. A flower. A shared laugh. A drawer finally cleared out. These moments don’t make headlines, but they anchor us. They remind us who we are.

This past month felt like a turning point. Subtle in some ways, profound in others.

I let go of my beloved car after realizing I no longer needed it (I’d only driven it once this year!). It was a symbol of a different pace of life. One I’m slowly releasing. There was the sweet Coterie tea party, where we noshed on cucumber and mint tea sandwiches, sipped from glass tea cups, and shared what’s blooming in our lives. My mom came for a visit, bringing her signature comfort—and, let’s be honest, a little chaos (love you, Mom!).

I sang my heart out to Air Supply at their 50th anniversary show at Carnegie Hall. My inner '80s child still can’t stop smiling! I added a pink damask rug under my dining room table (photo and tips here). And I completed a closet renovation that turned my space upside down before settling into something lighter and more aligned with who I’m becoming. I can’t wait to share photos!

And through it all, the peonies. I keep bringing bunches home from the farmers’ market, knowing they won’t last long. The latest bouquet is slowly releasing its petals onto my desk like pink confetti. I hear them drop now and then. It’s a gentle nudge to notice. A quiet reminder that things fall away. Seasons shift. And, yet, beauty is always worth pausing for!

Mary Oliver writes in Peonies:

“Do you love this world?
Do you cherish your humble and silky life?”

These words echo in my mind lately.

I do. Or at least, I’m trying to.

As I move through this year of healing I’m finding that beauty plays an essential role in the process. It doesn’t fix or solve, but it softens. It helps me stay present. It reminds me there’s wonder to be found, even in the uncertainty.

Midlife is about noticing the smaller things. It’s about letting beauty in, even when we feel unsure, even when we’re tired. It’s about honoring what’s here—while it’s here.

So I’ll ask you, too:
What’s quietly beautiful in your world right now?
What’s blooming—inside or around you—even if just for a moment?
And can you let yourself pause long enough to take it in?
The scent may just be intoxicating.

With love and gratitude,
Kimberly

Ask A Therapist: Getting Grounded

Q: How do I stay present when everything feels like it’s speeding up in midlife?

A: Ah, I see you! Midlife can feel like a swirl of caregiving, career shifts, reinvention, and that subtle ticking of time. Add spring energy to the mix and it’s easy to feel swept away. Here are 5 simple ways to slow down and root into the now:

1. Pause for Micro-Moments
One deep breath. A sip of tea. Noticing the light through the window. Listening to birdsong. Placing your hand on your heart. These seconds matter.

2. Create Pockets of Quiet
Even 10 minutes without screens, noise, or doing can reset your nervous system and help you hear yourself again.

3. Go Outside with Intention
Walk slowly. Name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you can smell, and 1 you taste. Consider one thing you’re grateful for. Repeat as needed.

4. Ask: What Matters Most Right Now?
This one grounding question can bring clarity when your mind is darting between a dozen tabs. Yes, I speak from experience here!

5. Practice Gentle Self-Compassion
You don’t need to do it all or get it perfect. Staying present is a practice—not a performance!

Which of these resonates most with you? I’d love to hear!

Offerings

A variety of offerings to nourish your soul

• Doors open this summer! Save your spot on the Coterie waitlist and get immediate access to a 30-days of Tranquility challenge.

• Digital Courses to nourish your midlife soul—explore the 5 TDJ Tenets, infuse your days with Parisian flair (no matter where you live), discover tools to support your mental health, and journey through Year of Tranquility with weekly lessons designed to inspire balance and beauty.

How I Can Support You

Subscribe to my Private Substack Collection

Browse my books and planners

1:1 Coaching & Therapy

Midlife Salons

Shop tees and bags

About Me

Hi, I’m Kimberly! I’m a psychotherapist in Washington, DC, author of seven lifestyle books (the next one’s all about midlife), and host of the Tranquility Coterie. I’m smitten with my 50s, ballet, pigs, pugs, and orangutans (a curious combo, but true!). I help women cultivate more balance, beauty, and tranquility in the second half of life. More at kimberlywilson.com and @tranquilitydujour on Instagram.

With every offering, a portion is donated to Pigs & Pugs Project, Borneo Orangutan Survival, and 1% for the Planet. Thank you for being part of the impact!