Not in Kansas Any More

Not in Kansas

“I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”   That’s what Dorothy said to her little dog, Toto, when she woke up lost in a whole new world of colorful munchkins.   If I had a little dog, that’s what I’d be saying to him too.   

I’ve never really dreaded turning the corner of any of the major birthday decades.  Turning the “Big 3-0” felt pretty much like turning the big “2-9”, as did turning forty.  No big deal.  I assumed that turning fifty would come and go without much more than an invitation to join AARP and a free Denny’s Grand Slam Breakfast coupon.   I took it in stride, assuming that aging was largely mind over matter.   Well, I’m here to say that turning fifty has been more like losing my mind and increasing my matter.   I just didn’t see it coming and clicking my heels like Dorothy did in the Wizard of Oz will not get me out of this – I’ve tried that already.

You know how your car can run great, until the moment it hits 100,000 miles?  I’ve decided that 50-woman years is equal to 100,000 car miles.  Just like a woman at fifty, a car crossing into the 6 digit mile marker is precisely the moment when the sputtering sounds begin,  a few screws come loose, the back wheel starts rattling and the engine overheats.  

When I was a teenager, I went to health class to learn about what to expect during adolescence.  When I was a young woman, I went to childbirth classes to learn about what to expect during pregnancy and labor.  I think I missed the course on how to navigate this part of womanhood.   So, I do what we all do, when we feel in the dark on a subject – I Google.  And I Google a lot.

I’ve discovered there is a condition known as “Perimenopause” and it is awaiting just about every woman heading in the direction of fifty.  It’s a fancy term used to refer to the years of mid-life transition. It’s sometimes marked by the PMS and cramps reminiscent of your teen years, while at the same time giving you a preliminary peak into world of sweaty hot flashes.   Sounds like fun, eh?  Well, there are plenty more surprises awaiting those transitioning years and that is what I’m hoping to discuss in this blog.   

I’d like to make this disclaimer before going any further:   This is written as I personally journey through an unfamiliar season of life, and not from a perspective of having “been there, done that.”    My hope is simply to offer up a few thoughts in “real time” in order that you, my sister, my friend, might find a little hopeful joy in your own journey – regardless of your age.   Please bear in mind that every woman is different, and she will  experience her own set of  symptoms.  Some women hardly notice any change as they sail through their transition, while others believe they’re losing their mind.   We’re all unique, but this truth remains:  there is GRACE available for whatever it is that YOU face today.   And if you’ve already come through the rocky transition into menopause and beyond, please feel free to share your thoughts.  Your younger sisters need you!

In closing, here’s a bit of encouragement that a girlfriend shared with me this past week regarding the many and varied hormonal symptoms I’ve wrestled with recently:  “This too shall pass.  Your body will acclimate to the new normal…eventually.”

There's no place like home "the new normal".