The Seven Year Itch

Not the proverbial marital itch, but I've heard that we go through cycles of reinvention in our lives.

For instance, at the RWAOnline boards, the monthly discussion topic asks people about their life and job experiences, so that writers might use each other as research resources. There seems to be a pattern in the revealing.

For years, I worked as a grunt worker with little ambition. Then I changed and went through a cycle of ambition in both my work and wanting to acquire "stuff." I wanted nicer clothes, a cool car (which for me was a new SAAB because I'm dorky that way), and eventually, a home to call my own. Then I re-incarnated into a "mom." Pure and simple without any other life things calling to me. After several years of that, I was drawn back to school where I studied something entirely different from my years of employment. Now, I want to write. And read. And listen to stories. And if I had the money, I'd publish books or make audio books. I still do the mom thing, but as the kids grow more independent, so do I -- again. Maybe in the next decade, I'll have an urge to join the circus. :)

Have you seen patterns - maybe every 7 years - of change in what you want from life? Some of you are too young to have a long history of this, but it's like moving from one season to another - do you feel that change?