TheBanyanTree: No longer a silent passage...amen!

[burns.gloria at gmail.com]

It wasn't that long ago that a group of friends were chatting about
young males and the problems so many of them are having.  One of them
suggested that a rite of passage into adulthood is lacking and perhaps
such a thing would be beneficial.

Well... I discovered that the passage of women through the "change" is
being celebrated in a huge way.  Menopause is being celebrated by
women everywhere!  Some women already know this and I thank them for
telling me and the other ladies that if we get the chance to see the
musical, Menopause, we need to go see it.  They are soooooo right!

I know that as a woman growing older, the questions about the elusive
subject of Change often go unanswered.  Shoot, my mother couldn't
remember when it happened or how it felt.  She did smile and get
rather red-faced when she'd blurt out that the only word that comes to
mind is relief!

So along come four women in a musical, singing and dancing to hits of
the 60s and 70s with words changed to describe the emotions a woman
faces... seemingly alone.    "Puff... my God I'm draggin'" being  one
of the songs.  To say it is hilarious is an understatement!

 I came away from the musical feeling empowered.  No longer are we
women expected to feel like it's the norm to become frail and frumpy. 
  No longer will  there be apprehension and confusion about what's
happening to one's body and mind.  Mood swings,  hot flashes, brain
farts?  Intermittent and normal.  Imagine the freedom that comes with
accepting those things as a process of Change.  A Change that frees
the spirit and deserves to celebrated.  A Rite of Passage shared by
women the world over.  As the musical's motto states.... It's No
Longer a Silent Passage.  At 49 yrs young I feel like menopause is 
something to look forward to rather than dread.  That in itself is a
huge relief.

And men?  What do you do while the women in your life are changing? 
You continue to love and reassure them.  You  laugh with them when
they're laughing and you keep silent while they're crying...unless of
course it drives you to tears of your own.  :-)  Celebrate with them! 
For when you both experience  the passage and recognize its end,
you'll both come away from it feeling empowered by the force of life
and all that it entails.

Enjoy your day, live your life, share the laughter, and most of all...
love all that is.

Dreamer...always dreamin' of a kinder, gentler world for ALL