Whoever told you that being a woman can't be fun was wrong!I just got through watching an interview of my friend and fellow Diva Boomer, Eileen Williams (on the local ABC affiliate in San Francisco) about celebrating menopause - the symptoms, the signs and embracing the "change".
It was a great interview and funny! Eileen mentioned our bodies "flopping and dropping" and I had to laugh because I have named my "girls" (that's boobs to you men) Thelma and Louise. Not because they are cute and perky but because they have gone over the cliff!
Both women spoke to the advantages of growing older as a woman. Because of the testosterone levels we begin to be more outspoken, more assertive and even more creative! As pointed out in the video we no longer have to worry about having feminine hygiene products in our medicine cabinets or our handbags! Even our headaches can go away!
I have found that menopause has been a doorway to freedom for me. As a younger woman I was always struggling to be like every one else. For me that was almost an insurmountable goal because, as an artist, I am "Normal Challenged"! I am, and have always been, a little different from other people. This caused me many years of confusion and discomfort. I just wanted to fit in and be like other women my age.
Now that I am older I recognize my "normal challenged" personality as a benefit and not as a detriment. I no longer care to fit in and I have embraced my unique voice and style. This is the DIVA way! I love my life as a Normal Challenged Artist and unique person and I am doing things now that I would never have thought possible nor even had the courage to try when I was younger!
Though I do not enjoy hot flashes and mood swings, I am not afraid to have them. I never took hormones because I did not want to fill my body with artificial chemicals. If that makes me more assertive, more demanding and less malleable than some would prefer - well, phooey on them! I'm happier and, frankly, that's what counts to me!
I've even started a rant blog where I get to complain about the things that bug, irritate and annoy me called The BRAT in the HAT! I highly recommend a rant blog for all women over 40 - you get to post your irritation for the world to see and get it out of your system. It's better medicine than a few hormone treatments by far - and it's cheaper!
So, if you're on the far side of 40, sliding into menopause and worried that your life is over - don't! Your life is really just beginning and it's going to be a wild ride into the second and best part of your life!
Some great sites to network with other dynamic women on the far side of 40:
The Feisty Side of 50
Enjoy Your Menopause
Boomer Diva Nation
Rosie's Boomer Review
New Jersey Baby Boomer
The Crazy Rancher's Wife
Life After 50
WOW!! Thanks for the plug! I am enjoying my menopause and having a blast during this time in my life. Far from an ending, the change really does give us a lot of freedom-- to be our unique selves in all our aging glory. And, best of all, we do get feistier than ever--not a lot of menopausal shrinking violets that I've come across!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Terri, LOVE the 'Thelma & Louise' comparison to our boobs!!
ReplyDeleteCracked me up! lol I can't do much about the direction these are heading, but I am determined to keep the brain where it should be!
Everyday I am devoting one hour to memory lessons,using puzzles,crosswords, ANYTHING that will exercise this crucial organ. Have noticed it's been a bit 'scattered' of late?? lol
I am 47, going on for 48[July] and have appreciated and embraced every piece of information, idea and support each diva has offered.
We really need to use our feisty feelings and encourage women to discuss this topic with their teenagers, just as they do menstruation!
Cheers mate!
Debbie x