“I feel more comfortable in my body, imperfections and all.”
“I know now, what I didn’t know then.”
“The kids are out of the nest and I have a lot of time to do what I want to do!”
“Grandchildren!”
“Sex without pregnancy worries!”
“Knowing myself better and knowing exactly what I want out of life.”
“I finally trust my own judgment.”
These are all very common refrains about being middle aged. Women the world over find that their midlife is fulfilling, exciting, and full of adventure. Most women, whether with a partner or not, report being happier in midlife than when they were younger, that is, after they pass through a rough spot called “midlife crises”.
Statistics show that humans’, regardless of socioeconomic status, “happiness quotient”, tends to be U shaped, being highest in the teenage years, and then going down until midlife, then it goes back up into old age until death. There is a slight bump for richer people, but the shape is still a U and still increases once the midlife crises time has passed.
Even for people who choose to have children later in life, the U shape remains the same. If you happen to be one who has not passed through the roughest part of your midlife yet, take heart, things do get better! As long as you’re on the right path that feels authentic to you, you’re going to be just fine. And if you’re not on your authentic path, at least you’re aware of it and can start to make changes if needed.
A common nightmare is that I am incapacitated in some way and no one plucks that one chin hair that seemingly grows two inches long over night. After years of waxing I no longer need to worry about my eyebrows, they’re almost gone, but now they’re growing on my chin.
“I refuse to think of them as chin hairs. I think of them as stray eyebrows.” -Janette Barber-
The “stray eyebrows” aren’t the only problem. The other issues frighten me while I’m awake though, not just in sleep. For instance, when I wave bye to someone, what the hell is under my arm. It’s like I have an extra hand waving long after I’m done waving with my actual hand. Sometimes it feels like that extra flap of skin is going to knock me down just from the shock I get when I see it flapping around in my peripheral vision.
Speaking of vision, why didn’t God make my arms longer? I have to stand at the other end of the isle at the grocery store to read the labels and forget reading medication labels, I just have to swallow the pills and hope for the best. It’s interesting to see better far away than close up after years of being nearsighted. I know that my husband is also farsighted now, he swears that I have no gray hair and no wrinkles.God love him.
I remember during pregnancy how funny it was that my breasts sat on top of my stomach like they were on a shelf… I had no idea that someday my stomach and my breast would need a shelf in order not to slide down to my knees. I thought it was downright hilarious that I could put a piece of paper between my breasts and my stomach and it would stick there, and I could read it. Now I can put an entire book there, but I can’t read it, thankfully I’m too looped out to care what with the inaccurate dosages of doctor prescribed medications.
When I was younger, we couldn’t wait to put the kids to bed so we could have sex. Now I just can’t wait to go to sleep, usually on the couch. The kids? Well, they can’t wait till we get off the couch so they can have sex. So I guess I have more issues than chin hairs, but I think I’ll just worry about it tomorrow.
New York bestselling author Nancy Thayer’s “Hot Flash Series” is a must read for all women of a certain age, if not for the younger set too. Nancy creates characters which treat menopause as a normal life stage rather than something that is seen as an awful situation. The characters are engaging and funny, even if the writing isn’t the best, the point of novels like these is to entertain, and entertain she does.
Essentially this series is about four middle aged women, Faye – the creative one; Marilyn — the smart one; Shirley — a health nut; and Alice — the business woman; which kind of makes you think of, “Sex in the City” but all the characters in this series are realistically experiencing the ups and downs of menopause, aging and life. The characters are relatable to real women even if the jacket cover of the book isn’t so realistic.
The women are great friends, supportive, and the positive light shone on middle aged women is something very much needed today. The women are your neighbors, your coworkers, your old high school friends, going through life experiences which are realistic and relatable. You’ll be drawn into the lives of the characters, laugh out loud, and feel great after an afternoon reading any of the books from the “Hot Flash Series”.
The books in order are:
- The Hot Flash Club
- The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again
- Hot Flash Holidays
- The Hot Flash Club Chills Out
Start from the beginning, and spend an afternoon (it’s chick lit not Maya Angelo) with each and they’ll carry you into summer with a smile on your face and a bounce in your step.
