It may have been written 7 centuries ago, but Dante certainly did nail it: "Midway along the journey of our life, I woke to find myself in a dark wood. For I had wandered off from the straight path." - The Divine Comedy.This week on Tapestry, Mary Hynes explores the meaning of midlife.

 

She talks with Joe Ollmann, a cartoonist from Montreal who made his own midlife crisis the centerpiece of a very funny graphic novel. Joe says he's okay with the whole "approach of death" thing, but his faltering physique is driving him crazy.

Mary also talks with Jungian analyst James Hollis, who has been through a painful version of midlife himself, and has helped many other negotiate the passage. Hollis is the author of  Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up. 

We also hear from Benjamin Stein, a musician who says his midlife crisis was falling in love with a new instrument - the theorbo. And from Jean Béliveau, who walked away from his business and kept on walking for 11 years.

Listen to the full interview with Joe Ollman

Listen to the full interview with James Hollis