NEVER FELT LIKE THIS BEFORE

(Can anybody believe that I'm still using Replacement's song titles exclusively??? Isn't that cool?)

Just sitting here enjoying my before-bed coffee (shut up) and girlscoutcookies (Samoas to be exact). Read my daily blogroll and am now going to let out a post that I've been carrying around in my little head for sometime now. Why I picked today to spill? No clue. Just felt right I guess.

As you well know by now, I'm turning 50 in a couple of weeks. From that bit of information, you may surmise that I am knee-deep in that part of a woman's life that, well, let's just say that some changes are taking place. And not so much physical as in other ways. I remember a few years ago reading a book called The Wisdom of Menopause by Christiane Northrup, MD. She talked about this part of a woman's life in a positive way that actually had me looking forward to a time in my life that most women dread like the Plague. She talked aboot a lot of things that I honestly hadn't given much thought at the time because I couldn't identify but now some things are happening with me that have reminded me what I'd read and now it's real. And she was right.

I'm guessing that I've lost the bigger part of my Readership at the beginning of the above paragraph. If you're still here, hang on. Your wife will be at this point if she isn't already. I might provide some insight that will keep you from institutionalizing her and save you a pretty penny in the long run... And if you can work through it with her, I think you'll enjoy the outcome. Although my case may not be the norm. (Surprise!) I've tried sharing and discussing what I'm going to tell you with some friends my age and they just kind of look at me blankly and nod and shrug. But maybe I've planted a seed in their heads that might help them approach this time in their lives in a more positive way.

I can see now that this is going to be a 2-part post, there's more in my head than I thought.

Remembering what Dr. Northrup pointed out, a woman in her fifties normally has raised her children and trained her husband (I made up that second part) and is finally able to concentrate on herself and her needs which may have been secondary for the better part of her adult life. Sadly, this is also a time when married couples take a long, hard look at each other without the benefit of children's heads and needs blocking the view and they find that they have grown apart or have had nothing but children to share for the past two decades or so. At any rate, a woman who now can concentrate on her own needs and desires is something to behold. Forget that she's got hormones like bumper cars crashing haphazardly 24/7 and causing any "normal" woman to wonder "What in God's name is happening to me???" The mind goes a bit askew, the body does whatever the hell it pleases and we are supposed to carry on our daily routine. You can't sleep, your appetite changes, your husband has taken up looking at nubile twenty-somethings and all the while your face is breaking out like (or worse than, in my case) you were 14 again. You're wondering by now, ok, where is the positive in all this? I'm going to be downright ignorant and tell you now that I'm going to go to bed now and finish this post later or tomorrow. I'm sorry. I'm menopausal and it's my prerogative. I've been up all night working my ass off and chances are, you haven't. Get over it.

Sometimes I come off like a real hard ass. I hope you all know it's just an act. And hormones.