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I want to garden, cook, bake, do yard workYou know, I had that opportunity for a while, and I realized God was showing me that no matter what my life, it can be experienced in any way that I paint it at the moment. I found it got very old very quickly -- it was no longer like doing it for fun on weekends. Notice that even Martha Stewart never seems to do the same thing twice! My husband used to want to be a musician, and then he got a job in a band and pretty soon realized it had turned into work. I honestly believe the divine message is
to learn to experience the moment, and not think there is a place to go
or a mental state to be in to have happiness. The concept of acceptance
has become so much more real to me recently. I had a teacher once
who said that no matter where you are you can go to the beach. He
advised that when you feel bored or upset with your situation, just imagine
yourself at the beach, feeling the sun on your face, and hearing the waves
break and the gulls cry. When I remember to use this, it really works.
In fact, I notice in approaching meno, I've either felt totally connected
with spirit or totally separate at any given moment. The depressions
are more intense and the joys are sweeter.
I honestly believe the divine message is to learn to experience the moment, and not think there is a place to go or a mental state to be in to have happiness.I couldn't agree more. Interestingly, though, it's taken me until fairly recently to be able to actually *live* this belief ... not all the time, but enough of it to make a difference. I think this is one of the reasons I find myself willing to embrace getting older: Year by year, I am becoming more the person I've aspired to be, so aging doesn't seem like such a bad thing ... --Pat Kight I want to garden, cook, bake, do yard work. I'm really a homebody. I'm starting to consider how I can spend more of my time doing the things I enjoy--haven't figured it out yet, but I will. There doesn't seem to be enough of my life left over to get around to it.I feel that this menopause is a GOOD thing, in spite of it's related problems. I find myself "pausing" quite often...to think about what it is I want out of life and how I can make that happen. I'm pleased to be in this place at last, where I can value time more than money. Not that I ever had either one, of course. But circumstances have changed my life over the past few years, and it has evolved into something unexpected. I feel as though I "own" myself at last. Well, almost, I still have to work at it but just not as hard. But now I value balance above all. I, too, was a single working mother. The pressures of that wore me down and I suffered from depression many times over the years. I never had enough money, I had health problems, I drank too much, had too little sex, and thought that life sucked and then you die. My salvation was that I got fired three years ago. Best thing to ever happen. I no longer have a 9 to 5 job. It's hard to believe there was a time I thought that was actually IMPORTANT! I now have several different part-time jobs. My lifestyle is so much more liberating. There are still work demands, but I feel somehow more in control of my life. I was so scared at the time. Now I consider myself lucky. In fact, this Thanksgiving, that's what I'm thankful for. I've got my life back. I chuckle when I see those long grey hairs on the sides of my lips. I truly AM a crone now. And, as Martha Stewart says, That's a Good Thing. Best wishes to you,
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