Carpe mediae aetatis? What?!?!
Think, “carpe diem”. Now think, “midlife”. Put it together, and the closest literal translation I’ve come up with is “carpe mediae aetatis”. I like this better…
Carpe midlife!
It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? Carpe midlife. Carpe mediae aetatis.
Carpe Diem + Midlife = Carpe Midlife
I’m pretty sure my middle school Latin (and even the able wizardry of online translators) fall short of the grammatically correct way to conjoin the aphorism “carpe diem” and the most recent (already 4+ years?!?!) object of my obsession: midlife.
carpe diem |ˌkärpā ˈdēˌem|
exclamation: used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future.
origin: early 19th century: Latin, ‘seize the day!,’ a quotation from Horace (Odes i.xi).(Source: Oxford Dictionaries)
Make the most of middle age, friends.
Carpe Mediae Aetatis (Source: Geo Davis)
I’m not recommending that you abandon all plans or hopes for the future—definitely do not!—but I am encouraging you to pour yourself into midlife. Embrace the change. Live passionately, and don’t shy away from taking bold creative risks. Court adventure. Embrace ambiguity.
You’re doubtless familiar with the overused acronym YOLO (you only live once) deployed like a battle cry by twenty-somethings rationalizing unacountable, reckless behavior. Face it, you envy them a little, and maybe that’s why you grimace when you hear somebody dismissing their latest fiasco with a casual, “Yolo, man.”
Instead of grimacing, instead of scoffing, instead of envy, accept the reminder. After all, we midlifers are halfway to the grave (in case you need a memento mori.) So carpe midlife!