Women's Issues Midlife And Beyond
Lynne Klippel’s question was direct. “How have wearing other people’s faces served you?†In my introverted, I-don’t-like-sharing-my-inner-feelings way, I froze for a second. I know I do put on masks, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to dissect the reasons. Particularly midlife masks. Sometimes mucking about in my inner-workings, my subconscious, is like realizing I’ve been living a hoarder’s lifestyle…. Read More
The American standard of beauty demands women appear slender. Constant media onslaughts display happy, sexy, glamorous women who are a size 0-2, and ridicule anyone breaking free of the cultural “rulesâ€. Oh sure, once in a rare while a female celebrity will have the nerve to show her face in public, smiling, proud of her Aphrodite curves.  No, no, no!… Read More
“You have to know that an older man cannot hang from a chandelier.” –Dr. Ruth “It’s a great way to save water,†said my husband. It was, and is, his not so subtle way of saying he’d love it if I’d take a shower with him. And yet, somewhere along the way, the sexiness of lathering up together has lost its… Read More
 “Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.†–Winnie the Pooh So Minimal, In Fact, That If My List Were Clothing You’d Be Reading This On A Nude Beach When was the last time you lost it? Not in a bad, “I’m going to kick holes in the wall because I’m angry, and this wallpaper needs to go†sort of way… Read More
If we look at our current culture, it is easy to point mental fingers at differences between prior generations and today. Unlike our mothers and grandmothers, we started yo-yo dieting as teenagers, and probably never stopped. We are the first long-term users of birth control pills. Our foods are laden with artificial ingredients and hormones, refined to death, and packaged… Read More
They wandered into the Full Moon restaurant with slow steps and fast smiles. Two elderly couples were enjoying a night out, and they could not have looked sweeter. Old love, the “we’ve been through the best and worst of times,†love is like that; I’m guessing. My husband, son, and I sat a table over from them, which only encouraged… Read More
 The Title, Fifty Shades Of Grey, Was Already Taken I wanted a sunny day. Okay, maybe a whole day of sunshine was getting greedy. I would–do-cartwheels-even-though-I’d-probably-break-a-hip-if-I-did–settle for a few paltry hours of the yellow stuff. But no. This day, like so many others of late, held all the appeal and color of a dank and dingy dishrag. Remember dishrags? Do… Read More
“Older women are forthright and honest. They’ll tell you right off you are a jerk if you are acting like one.†–Andy Rooney Menopause. A word, a state of being, scrutinized more closely than George Clooney in a speedo. What does it mean? How long does it last? How can we deal with the symptoms? Why are my symptoms different… Read More
Eight little black eyes peered at me from the fireplace mantel. They were inanimate eyes, so why did I clearly see mirth and more than a hint of taunting? As you may recall, my sweet husband put up our Christmas tree* and other holiday decorations this year. I was simply too tired, or at least too unenthused, to drag the… Read More
It was a freak’n cold day. My husband had signed us up for the “55+” 4-Hour Defensive Driver Training class claiming it would be fun to do together. (Truthfully, he wanted to get the 10% discount on our insurance, but that man can spin a good story when necessary.) As soon as the alarm went off I checked our marriage… Read More
