Most of us remember when the question of the day was, “what’s your bag?” This, of course, was the hip way of asking what someone did. And, it’s still groovy to have a bag; goals to aspire to and a direction to follow. But, when was the last time you reexamined your life’s path?
Menopause is a huge biomarker in a woman’s life. It creates profound hormonal, physical, and psychological transformation in many areas of our lives. This extensive renewal and rebirth requires sufficient soul searching to be successful.
In her book, Inventing the Rest of Our Lives, Suzanne Braun Levine calls this deliberation phase “the fertile void.” Levine explains that taking the time for self-contemplation, rather than being an act of analysis paralysis, is a critical and indispensable element for aging successfully and with purpose.
So, take some time to reexamine your bag. Are you living in ways that support what you value? Are you waking up with a sense of excitement and anticipation? Are you making an effort to stretch and grow in new directions?
If the answers to any of these questions is “no,” it might well be time to take a trip into the fertile void, reassess what you want out of life, and break out of your well-worn bag (the one you’ve been in for years). After all, when you think about it, who among us wants to be referred to as “an old bag!”
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March 3rd, 2008 | Tags: 1960’s hippies, 50+, 60s hippies, aging, aging process, aging with grace, anti aging, attitude, baby boomer, baby boomer generation, baby boomer woman, baby boomer women, baby boomer women over 50, baby boomer women over fifty, baby boomers, body, body image, book, boomer, boomers, career, career development, career transition, careers after 50, connect, counterculture, creative, early menopause, Eileen Williams, emotion, empty nest, empty nesters, encourage, female forums, feminist, feminist history, feminist movement, feminists, Fifties, fifty plus, first-wave boomers, forum for women, forums for women, friends, fun, generation, goal, goal attainment, goal setting, groovy, health, healthy aging, hippie, hippie chick, hippie culture, hippies, hippies in the sixties, hippy, humor, inspiration, invitation, lifelong learning, M. Eileen Williams, making goals, marriage, Mary Eileen Williams, mature resources, mature women, maturity, menopausal symptoms, menopause, midlife, midlife crisis, midlife transition, old broad, older women, over fifty, peri menopause, post-menopausal, post-menopause, psychedelic, reaching your goals, retirement, retirement planning, senior discount, senior services, seniors, Seventies, share, signs of menopause, Sixties, speak, story, support, symptoms of menopause, the 50's, the 60's, tips for baby boomer women, turning fifty, voice, wisdom, women, women over 50, women over fifty, write, writer | Category: Your Midlife Revival
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March 15th, 2008 at 11:12 am
I re-examined my life in 1996 when my father passed away. My mother had died a few years earlier and when Dad passed on I became an official “orphan”. I sold my house, moved into an RV and hit the road doing art shows.
This was momentous because I had to sift through not only 40 odd years of my accumulation of life’s bric-a-brac but over 80 years of my parents lives too. It changes the way you look at things when you cannot “take it with you” and I pared my life down to what fit into a motorhome.
For me it was the “first day of the rest of my life” and it had the effect of changing how I approached life and how I viewed the world.
It was a drastic step to take and I don’t recommend it for everyone, but it can free your mind, heart and soul to divest yourself of a lot of the world’s trappings.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Well, I am on the shy side of 60 and about to re-enter the workforce. I am trying to reach a goal of being able to retire with a big paycheck. Any help out there for me?
March 9th, 2008 at 3:55 am
Well, I can certainly answer ‘yes’ to your questions. I can’t wait to come into my office to see what might have transpired overnight. I’m always full of ideas, new things to try, new things to see, just new things. I’ve stopped being a wallflower and am enjoying life without worrying about what others think of me. That’s the best part!
March 8th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I can’t honestly say that every morning I awake with excitement, but I do believe I have more of a commitment and direction in my life now than I did even 5 years ago. Having so makes me feel that much more fulfilled as well. I enjoyed your post Eileen!
March 8th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Well, even though I have the job of my dreams, sadly other areas of my life are not up to scratch, causing me to answer “no”…but, I have come to the conclusion there is not a great deal I can do until we change address, so am making the best of the situation. Once we have moved, I’ll truly be able to focus on putting everything else into perspective. Suzanne’s book will serve a great purpose to those who need to focus on their future, with a positive attitude.
Thanks for sharing this!
March 8th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Thanks for your comments! Your support makes me want to keep pushing my own boundaries… real proof that an old broad doesn’t need to have an old bag!
March 8th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Right on!
Seriously, excellent, excellent piece! Standing O!
March 8th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Yes, I’ve come out of the menopause closet!!! Hallelujah!
March 5th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Eileen,
Excellent post! I do remember those days…..”what’s your bag” or “that’s not my bag”
I just want to know when menopause will actually occur for me!! I’ll be 51 in a couple of weeks and I’m still tortured by that monthly cycle. I’m definately looking foreward to the big “pause”
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Goodness! I’m a 54 year old white male! What happened? Luv the above piece!!! thanks…tomvickers@suddenlink.net