Menopause is a life transition.
I was in a park with my daughter and dogs the other day. Two young dogs were playing "catch" with a butterfly. The little white butterfly was agile, avoiding the snapping (playful) jaws of the pups, staying just out of reach. The beauty of the moment was in the movements of the butterfly. It was as if she (for the purpose of this blog, it was a "she" butterfly) was playing with the dogs, teasing them, loving the moment of movement and concentration. And that made me think. Women are just like the butterfly. We will experience metamorphosis several times during this life time, from puberty to the changing form when we are expecting our children, to maturity, to old age, this is a cycle. And like the butterfly in a cocoon we at times, will hide, will seek the darkness in order to glow and grow again.
Menopause is a life transition.
During this stage of your life you are changing one identity for another, from being a mother, to being a mother without children, they gone, all grown up. Even your relationship with your children has changed. This is a huge psychologically change. To top that off, we are changing. At times I look in the mirror and think: "Who is this woman staring back at me?" I really had to go through a phase of dissolving. Dissolving the old me, letting go of the old me - remember it is only in the last stage of the butterfly's life cycle that she becomes the beautiful butterfly. While I was looking in that mirror, seeing the stranger looking back at me, I dissolved into tears. This realization that we are changing, is the scariest part or phase of the cycle. Like the image in that mirror, I have to face it before I can start controlling my feelings and recognize it for what it is: just another phase.This is the time we have to take control. It is a new birth and in order to move forward you will have to re-organize your outer world to facilitate this inner birth.
Menopause is a life transition.
It is a opportunity to spread your wings, take on what you always wanted to do. Let your soggy wings dry - during this period (when the butterfly emerges, she must wait until her wings had dried before she can take flight). This is the same as our own drying out period, we have hot flushes, we have tears we have uncontrollably emotions, our emotions quiver at the slightest provocations. But after the quiver is gone, your wings will be strong and resilient. You are ready for flight. To me this is the most beautiful time of a women's life, this is the payoff time. Your have done your duty to husband and children, you now can take the world on with the knowledge and the experience life has afforded you. Your future security lies not in the face staring back at you in that darn mirror, but in the knowing of how to deal with metamorphosis.
Happy wings!
