Pedaling Through Midlife with Purpose: A Q&A with Linda Hanstra
Author Linda Hanstra shares heartfelt insights from her book Empty-Nest Joyride, offering encouragement and purpose for navigating midlife transitions.
Today, I’m delighted to welcome Linda Hanstra with a guest post on Midlife Repurposed. Linda is the author of the newly released Empty-Nest Joyride: Hope, Love, and Purpose on the Road to Contentment. In her book, Linda shares a heartfelt collection of personal stories inspired by bike rides through the Midwest countryside. Using her cycling adventures as creative metaphors, she reflects on the challenges and blessings of midlife with humor, warmth, and wisdom. Whether you’re approaching the empty nest or already living it, Empty-Nest Joyride offers encouragement to:
Reach for new opportunities in personal and spiritual growth
Rekindle the spark in your marriage
Reawaken ambitions set aside during parenting years
Build healthy, fulfilling relationships with adult children
In the Q&A below, Linda shares her insights on navigating this life transition with hope, purpose, and unexpected joy. I know you’ll enjoy her thoughtful responses!
Q: You use cycling adventures as metaphors throughout your book. How did biking become such a meaningful way to reflect on this life stage?
A: My husband, who has always been an avid biker, enticed me to join him in the sport while we were dating, and the pastime continued into our early married years. But, once the kids came along (we had four in eight years), our time was wrapped up in the chaos of a busy household, and our biking time was almost nonexistent.
Enter the late-teen years when the kids could drive themselves and then started leaving for college. Eventually, our empty nest gave us the time and freedom to bike again. As we rode, metaphors emerged in my mind, linking the sport of cycling to our lives—as a newly-married couple, a family of six, and eventually empty-nesters.
Then we started joining large, organized rides and we noticed the majority of bikers were midlifers like us. It’s a growing pastime among our age group because of the health benefits, the enjoyment, and the fact that later life allows more time for riding. Whether you bike or not, Empty-Nest Joyride will give you much to ponder about marriage, parenting adult children, caregiving, and aging—as well as cycling!
Q: One of the key themes of your book is reigniting your marriage after the kids are grown. What advice would you give couples who are struggling to reconnect in this season?
A: I suggest several things in the book, but one key way to reconnect is to find activities you mutually enjoy—perhaps things you did together before the kids came along—and to be intentional about bringing those activities into—or back into—your life. Spending leisure time together fosters conversation and cooperation as you plan and carry out the activity. It’s also important to have individual interests and to encourage each other to pursue your passions.
If the empty-nest years are still ahead of you, make sure you care for your relationship and “train” for the empty-nest years through date-nights, kid-free time at home, couples-only vacations, marriage seminars, etc. Whether you’re still in training, or already in the empty-nest years, being spontaneous and trying new things can add joy. Note: I’m currently offering a free D.I.Y. Date-Night Idea Jar (a digital download) with 52 unique, seasonal date-night ideas.
Q: You talk about embracing new opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. Can you share one or two specific practices that helped you navigate this transition with joy?
A: If you can get away on a retreat, I highly recommend doing so. I scheduled a personal writing retreat to focus solely on some writing tasks I needed to do, but ended up being very unproductive. I realized the Lord was calling me to rest (which happens to be one definition of “retreat.” Who knew? 😆). I came away from those days with a renewed sense of God’s presence in my life and the importance of taking time to be with him and to listen to his guidance.
There are other ways to grow spiritually, such as regular worship, participation in Bible study groups, and personal devotions or meditation time. Writing has helped me process my thoughts and reflections in ways that often surprise me. Whether you keep a prayer journal, a gratitude journal, or hope to publish a book someday, writing can help you grow personally and spiritually.
Q: What would you say to someone who feels “lost” as they face this new stage of life? How can they begin their own “joyride” toward contentment?
A: I think there’s a misperception that the empty-nest and retirement years are generally sad, unproductive, and stagnant. I’ve found the opposite to be true! With the additional time and freedom, I’ve taken on new pursuits and am constantly learning new skills—like writing and self-publishing, knitting, and kayaking. There’s no need to go crazy (taking on too many things and burning yourself out) but simply be open to new opportunities, and see where they lead. Trying something “for now” is a good way to explore possibilities without making a long term commitment. You just might be surprised with joy!
Q: If readers take away just one key message from Empty-Nest Joyride, what do you hope it will be?
A: Even in the midst of change and struggles, one can find hope and joy. I believe joy comes from a place of deep contentment, regardless of your temporary circumstances. If we know we’re beloved by our heavenly Father and trust that he is caring for us and our loved ones, we can find peace and contentment even in life’s storms, valleys, and bumps in the road.
Linda Hanstra, a semi-retired speech-language pathologist, is living happily ever after-the-kids with her husband, Tom, in southwest Michigan. They spend summers at the lake in northern Minnesota—their home away from home. On quiet evenings and summer afternoons, you might find her reading, knitting, cycling, or kayaking. As a mother of four, and now "Lala" too, her family and faith bring her the deepest joy. The author of Lent through the Little Things and now Empty-Nest Joyride, Linda has been writing, blogging, and encouraging readers for over ten years. Her work can be found at lindahanstra.com and on Substack.
You can also get to know Linda Hanstra more in her podcast episode on Midlife Repurposed.
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