At some point as I was clumping my way through the Change of Life, I thought: I really am changing. Not only physically but in some metaphysical way that for the life of the new me, I couldn’t pinpoint.
Yet it didn’t seem to bother me. I felt a sort of calm about this feeling of change. I mean after all, it’s not that I was so great before. Why not change some?
But if you asked me now, two years later, what those deep in the mind changes are, I wouldn’t be able to tell you.
Does that mean they were real changes? Who knows!
But the feeling was sort of fun, kind of intriguing. I remember especially that it came over me as I walked down the stairs of our old house. Maybe the Ghosts of Menopauses Past?
In honor of changes, I post this lovely leopard. I found the painting in the School Art Exhibit of the North Carolina State Fair in October. They say a leopard can’t change her spots, but this one has sprouted wings. Now wouldn’t that be a cool change of life? She wouldn’t walk or slink or bound down the stairs. She would fly. And how about those purple spikes!
This is one of those posts the blogging experts suggest we don’t write. I don’t have any brilliant takeaway information for you. But if you feel yourself changing, have fun with it.
And if you start growing wings and purple spikes, have even more fun.
Love, Barbara
Photo: The first name of this brilliant young artist is Jaylah, and she might tell us this isn’t actually a leopard. A cheetah, perhaps, or a mythical creature?
Friend For The Ride 
Cute picture. Wonder what those purple spiking things are all around it. Maybe it’s aura? I do think that as we move into the new phase of our life that starts around 50 or menopause age, we do start looking at life from a different perspective. I used to say that middle age starts at 50 since more and more people live to be 100 now. So maybe at 50 we start to relax some and lighten up. Life from that point is all downhill. But I don’t see that in a negative way, as it is way easier to go downhill than climb up the 50 years long hill. Now we need to take life way less serious and just relax, have fun, and enjoy life!
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Love the aura suggestion. All downhill. I never thought of it that way! Good perspective.
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I have recognized the same sort of changes. Oh, sure, it is easy for me to look back even 8-10 years and recognize significant changes in my life: Career changes (3 in 10 years). Houses (4). Etc. But even after accounting for all those I can tell there has been a far deeper set of changes that I cannot put my finger on or account for. But I know they are there and believe they have made me a better person. At least I hope so. So here’s to change – although I am not sure I am ready for wings!
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Ah sure you’re ready for wings…
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That’s one of the good things about blogging. Once you’ve been posting for a long time you can look back at old entries and see how far you have – or haven’t – come. It’s fun!
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It sure is fun. Sometimes I worry I spend to much time at it, but then I remember how much time quilters take to make a beautiful patchwork quilt. We bloggers just put all those patches on the Internet.
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A leopard can’t change her spots but she can grow wings. Words to live by. Wonderful post today.
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Love it!
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adorable picture. and it shows us that anything goes!! i agree, it is hard to pinpoint the exact feelings. to me, it has felt like a kind of “settling” and a new contentment. maybe the angst of our youth is gone.
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Yes the angst of youth. I’m not sure I knew it was angst at the time, but it sure seems like it now.
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I like the leopard’s “mona lisa” smile, with the leg poised for flight. Notice that the “paw” has disappeared, so the change has begun. I think the black blobs on the ground are the spots that have fallen off the leopard’s face–ingenious! Although the saying goes that a leopard can’t change its spots, it doesn’t say anything about losing the spots! As we go through menopause, we do “lose” a little bit of ourselves, but we gain so much more if we just smile our little “mona lisa” smile and take off!
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You should be an art critic. This is spot on! (Pun somewhat intended.)
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Miss/Mrs/Ms Leopard looks happy and contented to me. I find myself feeling more content with life in general and myself in particular. Maybe I had to get to this point to accept myself – finally.
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Yes I do think there’s an acceptance, although not sure I’m all the way there yet. Still haven’t accepted my poofy stomach, but maybe we just need to tread harder at the gym!
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