Archive for the ‘Midlife’ Category

I read mainly American publications as in More Magazine because they “celebrate women over 40″, Oprah magazine because in spite of the title it is not all about her and has some good articles. I will browse through the odd Vogue; what better way to spend valuable spare time than by looking at couture clothes that I cannot afford? My list is rounded out by Marie Claire because they have some top rate stories on the plight of girls and women around the world.

I often wonder why Canada doesn’t have similar magazines for women. I use to read Chatelaine because it kept me in touch with what Canadian women were thinking and doing but I have let my subscription lapse as during the past 18 months it seems so adrift with no handle on target audience, content or even the artistic layout. What was with all the food covers? It looks like Canadian Living.

I guess the Canadian print medias’ inability to appeal to a female readership, who want more than recipes and cleaning tips indicates that a quality publication for women over forty is definitely not in the works.

Somehow the phrase working retirement seems like an oxymoron. Chris (husband) says that it means that we will finally take weekends off.

We are definitely not a playing golf, doing Florida in an RV couple. Instead we are shaping what we want to do, how we want to do it and very importantly where we want to be to do it. This all falls under the four year plan for him, but I am more the fourteen year plan.

As a midlife coach I have study the concept of working retirement in some depth. It is complex, multifaceted and is very different for each person. That can be the interesting part, two individuals who are for all intent and purpose are a couple but have two very different versions of their working retirement.

Well I am pleased to say that our vacation answered the where question to the satisfaction of both of us, but more about that and some aspects that are not going quite as well in my entries to come.

I used to be fairly in tune with my body. I still ‘know’ it but over the last year or so I have chosen to ignore it’s subtle messages. Consequently, I now have a second head cold in two weeks and a raging case of tonsillitis. Why at a time when we should be honoring our bodies are we decide to push it more? Is it a feeling that time is at our heels or an assumption that it still has the re-generative abilities that it possessed twenty years ago? When I feel better I am going to have a meeting with myself and re-evaluate my goals and priorities. I need to take a realistic look at what my body needs and adjust my schedule accordingly. I also realize that there are going to be some things that I am going to say “no” to but in the end I am glad that my wake-up call is a mild one.

I heard an edgy voice this morning saying “That’s it I have no more time to play with you, I’m too busy”. I didn’t like the tone or the words and even less I didn’t like seeing the look on my dogs faces at the sharpness in my tone. Yes, it was me or at least some form of me. I don’t have to tell any baby boomer woman how far attitudes have changed as it is no longer correct to even hint at a woman’s hormones affecting how she behaves or does her job but let’s be honest peri-menopause does not always find us normal. I do think we have to be aware of the degree of irritability and mood swings. How we deal with it is a personal decision. As for me I think I’ll take my dogs out for a game of ball and let myself have some fun with them. Work can wait.