The Season of Midlife
photo credit: eloy martinez/unsplash
There is something about Spring - longer days, increasing sunshine, warmer weather, and nature sprouting that I find inspirational and motivational, even when I’m still pulled toward some laziness and hibernation. Spring generally sparks within me some new energy, fresh perspective, and opportunities to engage differently with myself and the world around me.
This year I find myself reflecting more on the season of my life and the meaning of being middle-aged and menopausal. As I’ve crossed through menopause and finally (thankfully!) feel some symptoms beginning to retreat, I wonder: where might I go from here?
We can tend to see things through cloudy lenses–ones that are soiled with prior dirt and grime, contain cracks or chips, or that hold previous prescriptions that limit our ability to see things clearly. It’s easy to settle into what is–to what we see or experience now–operating as best we can with smudges blocking our vision. What if we cleaned our lenses, mended the cracks or even updated our prescriptions to be able to really see what’s in front of us while also channeling that newfound and blooming awareness within? I know what I see and feel: it’s a season of wisdom and opportunity.
At mid-life, we have experienced and accomplished so many different things, some more than once and with varied outcomes. This is when we can apply our wisdom–the synthesis of all we have learned–in new and impactful ways that truly serve ourselves as well as the world around us (that’s Menopausability™!!). Sometimes that wisdom can be hard to locate, name or trust. Below are a few sprouts of wisdom I see and am intentionally fertilizing:
Embracing imperfection: understanding when “best” is needed and when “good enough” will do
Learning from experiences and mistakes: how to learn and grow from the choices made along the way
Opening to new points of view: actively seeking other perspectives that can make the journey or outcome richer and easier
Seeking knowledge and deeper meaning: remembering that there is always something new to learn or different ways to dig into what’s already known
Practicing self-reflection: looking back to better understand, appreciate and apply experiences and lessons
Valuing the power of meaningful connections: knowing that positive relationships with myself and with others enrich my life
Writing my own narrative: remembering that I get to write or revise what is true about and for myself
Prioritizing my own happiness: ensuring that my fulfillment and joy is always near the top of my to-do list
Trusting my intuition: knowing that my “Spidey Sense” is usually accurate and that I can follow its lead
Appreciating myself and all that it means to be me: loving myself with all of my nicks and scratches, aches and pains, mistakes and repercussions
photo credit: johann siemens/unsplash
To reveal your own wisdom–your Menopausability™–start by asking yourself a few questions:
What am I most proud of and why?
What would I do over again differently and why?
What have I overcome or persevered through and how did I do it?
What am I most grateful for and why?
What are my gifts and talents and how do I know?
What really matters to me and how can I prioritize that?
What motivates or inspires me and why?
What advice would I give my younger self and why?
Once you have dug into those questions, continue by considering the following:
What information does this reveal to you about yourself?
How can you use this information to rewrite or revise the current story you are telling yourself about yourself or your season?
What do you honestly need to feel and operate as your best self during this season of midlife?
The simpler and more focused you make your responses, the easier your growth and the more vibrant your blossoming will be!
I find myself wanting to embrace this wisdom, to let it grow and flourish and feed my own interests and needs as well as those of others. While midlife and menopause can bring some challenges, this is also a time to clean or replace the dirty lenses, plant new seeds, face the sun, tend to the roots and leaves, create a vision, and grow and bloom. Wisdom and our Menopausability™ are the tools we need–and that we have–to find clarity and nourish ourselves and our communities into and through the seasons to come.
