Menopause—a natural yet decidedly perplexing stage of life. It doesn’t have to knock the wind out of you, but let's face it, it can certainly make its presence known. We’ve all heard of hot flashes and the end of monthly cycles, but no one warns you about the rest of the recipe. And oh, what a recipe it is.First, there are the hot flashes—an impromptu tropical vacation your body didn’t RSVP for. Then come the night sweats, turning your restful slumber into a midnight sauna session. Joint and muscle discomfort join the party too, leaving you feeling as if you’ve tangled with a wild bramble. Charming, isn’t it?
Of course, there’s vaginal dryness—an uninvited guest that can put a damper on the more sensual chapters of life. Mood swings that could rival a Shakespearean tragedy, and the familiar duo of anxiety and depression—because apparently, menopause thought you needed more drama. Brain fog creeps in, making you forget why you walked into the room in the first place, and ah yes, and weight gain—which often seems to settle in as an uninvited guest with your stretchy pants. Add some urgency in the bladder department, skin changes you didn’t sign up for, breast tenderness, and voilà, the "ingredient list" is still not complete.
It’s a lot, isn’t it? But here’s the good news—you are so much more than this list of challenges. While menopause might feel like a storm, you are the unshakable oak tree, weathering it with grace (and maybe a bit of grit). After all, every season eventually gives way to the next, and this one, too, will pass. Until then, let’s arm ourselves with good information, a sense of humor, and perhaps a nice table fan to keep those hot flashes at bay.
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Let's Talk about the Bladder...
Aging Gracefully is Harder than it Looks!
The Silver Lining
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Are we coming to terms with what 50+ means or are we chasing 30?
I do not look down on anyone who has surgery to look younger. I don’t look down on high dollar cosmetics or treatments etc, but I encourage you to ask yourself if you are trying to be the best version of yourself as you Continue through life (which is a blessing) or if you are chasing a season of life that you have already lived?
I shared this somewhere (so forgive me if it was here) but I would like to share my thought again.
WE are the women that those behind us are looking up to - our daughters and granddaughters. They live in a society that has filled most of their lives with social media and filters and false expectations of what one should look like and how they see themselves. Young girls have depression at an all time high bc of all of the pressure surrounding them at every turn on these devices and on tv…. Not reality. Are we feeding them the same lies by never accepting ourselves as beautifully unique?? I am so fortunate to still have my mother who is alive, my mother is alive, myself, my daughter, and now my granddaughters. I am living smack in 4 generations. When I see my mother, I think she is so beautiful. Her hair is white. Her hands have aged. Her eyes sparkle and she still has nice eyebrows (how did that happen - lol?). I also have a granddaughter and it weighs heavily on me as I look at her as to when society will tell her that she isn’t enough? Isn’t that what we are doing a great deal of here? I see my beautiful, unique, precious granddaughters with bright blue eyes and blonde hair but how much longer does she have before she believes she isn’t enough? That she needs to be blonde or thinner or have a forehead that won’t crinkle etc? I love the way she looks at me. She sees me as I see my mother. She sees me as beautiful. She knows I am not supposed to look like her Mommy does or like my mom does. She still accepts me just as I am and thinks I’m beautiful. I want her to hold my hands and ask me about my many trips around the sun. I want her to see the smile lines by my eyes and ask me why I smiled so much. We ARE beautiful.
I am not trying to stand on a soapbox of not using things to make you feel better. I use makeup and color my hair to make me feel more like myself - but I don’t look like I did 20 years ago, and that is because I have made 20 more trips around the sun and I have a ton of life lessons, experiences, memories and stories to tell. I just want to encourage each of you to look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if you talk to yourself as you would talk to your mother about her beauty or your granddaughter about hers? I can say this bc I was so guilty of speaking down to myself (shame on me). This is the body I was gifted to walk this earth in and I better appreciate it at some point before it’s gone. I also want to be a part of changing the negative narrative that we are being fed and that we tend to feed into ourselves..: that we need to stop ourselves from looking as if we have aged or as if we aren’t enough (the billion dollar industries enjoy those facts btw).
One day, I would love to hear someone’s great story BC they are 50+. I would like to hear what you found out that you like about yourself and your body. Bc, 50 years from now when I am no longer here, I sure hope that is what my granddaughter is writing about ❤️❤️❤️❤️
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