Hormones and High Winds: Everything Is Change

Between Climate Change and the Change of Live, everything in our midlife world is change. That seems fairly straight-forward, right?

Change: movement, flowing, ever shifting, subtle, powerful, multi-directional, all-encompassing, life itself.

Change.

Okay, so the two topics aren’t usually discussed in the same breath. And, if we’re being perfectly honest with ourselves, it’s kind of important to admit that there’s just the tiniest bit of difference between the two when it comes to their impact on the total of human life and long term quality of life issues.

(Then again, as a middle-aged woman who spent several years as an active participant in that second change, let me just suggest that no one had best dare tell me about impact – or it’s lack – and the qualities of life it rides rodeo over . . unless that same little change has awakened THEM in the middle of the night.) Let’s just agree that part’s a woman thing.

How ever you want to parse it, however, from the perspective of life as we midlife women currently know and experience it, climate change and the change of life (menopause, to be precise), are two of the most inter-connected of the often discussed topics around.

Check the magazines. Check blog posts. Check the coffee shops and locker rooms. Hot buttons, so to speak . . sometimes hotter than others.

And each carries with it a whole mess of beliefs, attitudes, and opinions, formed from odd mixes of science, rumor, and the latest in media/advertising/socio-religious passions.

What are we to believe? How are we to respond?

One issue is so big, and the other . . so personal.

Is there a connection – however obtuse – that we can wrap our minds around? Is there something that makes them more alike than different?

I think there is. Then again, I tend to think most – if not all – things are connected. Why would these be any different?

(Okay, I’m going out on a very thin limb here. Just humor me.)

Climate Change vs. THE Change

Cold fronts.

Hot fronts.

High winds.

Storms.

Unpredictable.

Emotion-charged.

Long term.

Insignificant.

All encompassing.

Natural.

“Man”-made.

Parched.

Release.

Creating structural instabilities.

Fire.

Flood.

Melting.

Cosmetic shifts.

Paradigm shifts.

Underlying questions.

Powerful.

Weakening.

Opportunity.

Fueled by change.

Do you notice anything here – like how each of these words or phrases works equally well for each of the two terms?

Don’t you just love it when a point comes together!

Oh, that’s right: The Point of all this. There is one. (There’s always at least one.)

CHANGE!

The only constant we’re guaranteed in life is change. It doesn’t matter to what other word we attach it, it’s all change.

We get to choose what it means to us, and how we deal with it. We get to choose if it becomes a curse in our lives, or an opportunity.

And once we choose, we get to take responsibility for what we do next.

Climate change and Change of life . . What would either be without change?

Climate. Life. Each is constantly changing.

Hard. Soft. We get to choose.

Choose well my friend. Choose well.

And while you’re choosing, just keep growing,

Gail

Tagged as: beliefs, change, change of life, choice, climate change, menopause, middle-aged, Midlife