With menopause, comes plenty of reflection.
Well first comes shock: What no more periods? After all the years, all those tampon purchases, all that wondering how you were going to manage the twelve hour sailboat excursion. After the shock, comes reflection. And some of that reflection focuses on decisions.
What’s the best decision I ever made?
What’s the worst?
Which one took the longest?
Which decision made me dizzy with glee?
I’m naive enough, or goofy enough,every now and then, to think I might get to go back in time and change stuff, fix those decisions that weren’t so great.
No, Barbara. Sorry old girl. Can’t do it.
But menopause is really about moving ahead, isn’t it? Deciding new stuff!
Some of those new decisions will be serious: When do we downsize? How do we make our money last?
Some will be lighthearted: Butter pecan, the old standard, over Chunky Monkey? Or a scoop of each? Waffle cone, sugar cone, wafer cone, or cup?
The one thing I know is, difficult or fluffy fun, any time we get to make a decision, we’re the lucky one. The opposite of choice is no choice. No good. Even in tough situations.
And once you’re through with periods, you get to choose sailboat rides into the sunset, white jeans, any day of the month for a gyno appointment, and the funky cheap earrings instead of the box of tampons.
Magnifico!
Photo: The decision-maker above (not near menopause!) is daughter Laura at the Commonwealth Restaurant and Sky Bar in Charlottesville, Va. FYI, she decided on the red fish with a spicy Creole sauce and had no regrets. Photo taken by her brother-in-law, Matt Monson. And so you can plan ahead for your next visit to the ice cream store, do study the assortment of cones below.
This fine selection can be found on the website of Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream and Yogurt.
I can’t wait! It’s sure going to be better than these more frequent perimenopausal periods!
Yep. Hang in there!
I have always been bad at decision making. And the more choices the worse it gets, obviously. So have learned to train my mind to see it as a challenge and to tell myself that there is often no right or wrong. Helps sometimes. With menopause sometimes my mind gets so foggy it is hopeless.
Barbara…you are so right that we a lucky to have decisions/choices. This is a new message i will tell myself.
Thanks!!
Yep. And I sometimes like to name things “Happy Decisions,” as a lot of them really are.
I say “Amen” to Judy. ALthough I still think there are too many granola bar choices at the grocery store…
Yes and cereals!