Menopause often sends you back.
Way back.
To your girlhood.
Since The Great Pause has set in, I’m spending more time reflecting on my early years.
But now is good!
I love writing this blog.
More than any job or hobby, ever.
But about my youth.
In high school I wrote for the school paper.
I had my own column, which I loved writing too.
A few days ago, I dug out the old issues.
Whoa!
My words in The Talisman stopped me in my looking-at-old-stuff tracks.
My column reads a lot like my blog posts.
That’s either good, since I wrote pretty well in high school
Or bad
Since I’m forty years wiser and should be a better writer now.
But I sound almost the same.
I guess the girl really is mother of the woman.
(To paraphrase William Wordsworth’s “The child is father of the man.”)
What about you?
Even though the years have swirled by, are you, in some ways, still the same girl you were long ago?
And does that make you sad, happy, or a bit of both?
The touches of red in this post trace back to one of my favorite elementary school riddles:
What’s black and white and red all over?
The newspaper!
I think I learned the riddle from this book, one of my favorite of all time, Bennett Cerf’s Book of Riddles.
I wish I still had my old copy. Then I could check to see if I’m right. I do know for very sure, it’s got this one:
What’s big, red, and eats rocks?
A big, red, rock eater!
Sweet stroll down memory lane. I see you developed your charming, whimsical streak early on! I took some time to think about how my former self and current self compare and, almost on cue, I heard Stevie Nicks sing “The sea changes color, but the sea does not change.” She nailed it!
Love the Stevie Nicks!
Love those Universal Truths! Great that you still had the papers from high school.
In high school I edited the yearbook; in college I edited a student consumer paper. I have a few clips from my newspaper reporter days — and those really were the days!
Yep. Those were the days, and I’m not surprised that you were in the biz!
Oh, Barbara–that is SO you!! I love it. Especially the parts about solitary animal crackers and lying to your children.
As for comparing my current and younger selves, there is some good and some bad. I will always want to save every animal that needs rescuing, and the only child in me will always love being spoiled.
Yep. Very cruel to just eat one animal crackers! Ahh, sweet on animals and about the only child. James is doing a pretty good job it seems!
Such a wonderful read! And yes, the ‘voice’ I read in your very young lessons are still echoing today in this blog.
And, “What’s big, red, and eats rocks? A big, red, rock eater!” was always one of my favorite riddles. I’ve always been a fan of the “duh” jokes and riddles.
This was such a pleasure being able to travel through time and get a glimpse at the younger Barbara Younger. 😀
Thanks Patti,and I’m not surprised that you know the riddle. You are a well of whimsical knowledge.
Oh, and one funny coincidence… last night I was writing about my recent fall down the ‘rabbit hole.’ How odd to click onto your blog and see that image! 😉
Love Alice!
Was a writer then, still a writer. But now, I’m a published writer!
As always, enjoyed your blog, Barbara.
Congrats, writer!
Hmmmm…thanks for giving us something fun to think about!!!
Yep. Lots to think about when it comes to who we were then and now.
What I hear in your Talisman column are the voices of your parents – the advice and the whimsy! I’m also amused by the proofreading error “shcool” (which my computer is trying to auto-correct now)!
Where’s the typo? I missed it. Sweet about Mom and Dad.
The typesetting/proofreading error is in the second to last paragraph of the second Talisman excerpt.
Will check! Never noticed. I probably did at the time, but sure didn’t this time! Thanks!
http://vickielester.com/2013/04/26/menopause-in-the-movies
thought you might enjoy this!
Fun! Checked it out and left a comment. I think we all need to make a film! We can write it and star!
Barbara, I just found you through Louise Hawes’s post. I love your whimsical Reflections piece from your high school paper. The Universal truths and great evils are wonderful. They make me wish the world could be so simple. I remember one poem submitted to my high school paper and realize I still write poems about peace. Perhaps we are more the same as we were than we realize.
Oh fun. Thanks, Joyce! This makes my day! Love to have you write me a guest post. Shoot me an email if you’re interested. Zero rush. Email address at right.