When Youth Fades And The Middle Years Bring Fearlessness

Summary

The author discusses the advantages of embracing middle age and menopause, emphasizing the freedom and confidence that comes with it.

Abstract

The article titled "When Youth Fades And The Middle Years Bring Fearlessness" explores the author's perspective on aging and menopause. The author challenges the societal obsession with eternal youth and argues that every line on one's face is a testament to a lesson learned. She acknowledges the challenges that menopause brings, such as the decline of fertility and physical changes, but also highlights the liberation that comes with it. The author expresses her joy in being free from the constraints of pregnancy and the opinions of others. She encourages women to embrace their age, gain confidence, and live life on their own terms, rather than being defined by their relationships with others.

Opinions

The author believes that every line on a person's face is a symbol of a lesson learned, not something to be ashamed of.
She acknowledges the physical and emotional changes that menopause brings but chooses to focus on the freedom it offers.
The author expresses her joy in being free from the risk of pregnancy and the constraints of little people.
She emphasizes the importance of not letting other people's opinions dictate one's life.
The author encourages women to embrace their age and gain confidence in themselves.
She criticizes the practice of addressing women as an appendage to their husbands or children, arguing that it strips them of their individual identity.
The author encourages women to live life on their own terms and not be defined by their relationships with others.

“If only I could turn the clock back” I wouldn’t.

Eternal youth, that’s what many seem to strive for now. But what of age and the middle years. I’m all for looking as good as you can but every line on your face is a line of a lesson learned. We cannot halt the passing of time.

In every woman’s life there comes a decline of fertility. Periods get less regular and for some women comes grief that she is no longer able to grow new life within her belly. The first hot flush, the snapping at people, the anxiety, and sodden sheets mean that menopause is well and truly on its way. For some women, it can really be a miserable time and if you Google “HRT saved my marriage” you will return thousands of results of HRT probably being the best marriage saver ever.

Menopause came to me and I started getting the odd feeling of feeling a little bit hot. I rushed into my Doctor’s office and asked for some HRT and have been on it ever since. And the risk of breast cancer aside I’m hanging grimly onto it until I’m eighty at least. I do actually know someone of eighty who is still on it.

But the middle years can really be your best years if you are a woman. Gone is the risk of pregnancy and the constraints of little people. And also gone is worrying about what other people think. With age comes confidence in yourself and your path in life. I’ve done more in my fifties than I ever did when I was younger and I now have the confidence to do it. If people don’t like me as I am now, well that’s life and you can’t please everyone all of the time and you don’t care either.

You can either decide to don your flip flops, a battered old cardigan, and await to become officially “old” or get out there and live your life your way. I decided I was going to DO things. One of which is pottering about on here.

It doesn’t matter if you start late with a side gig or a completely new adventure in your life. Sometimes a bit of age brings the wisdom and courage to branch out. When you are younger you can be busy bringing up children and for some women, their only identity is X’s Mum or Y’s Wife.

At the risk of sounding controversial, I hate to see women identified in this way, as an appendage to whomever they are bringing up or married to. It’s like their identity has moulded onto someone else. It shouldn’t be like this. The one thing that grates on me like metal on metal is to see letters addressed to a woman as (I’m using an example here) Mrs William Brown. What the hell is all that about? I don’t know any women called William, do you? But sadly I still see this happening. If I was introduced to anyone, even their dog, as Mrs William Brown it would be very likely I’d explode. Loudly.

An as a female co-worker in her early sixties said to me many years ago “My ladybits are now only to be sat on, nothing else”.

For women “of a certain age” it really can be their best age.

Get out there and grab it with both hands.

And live life on your terms.