My Menopause Blog: Taking Ownership

Finally, the type of November day that crawls under my skin and shakes me to the core. Bleak is the word. Chilling, gray, somber, deathly are reasonable substitutes. I have no doubt that when I die, it will be in November.

I find November's seasonal transition the toughest to weather. It's the end of a pleasant relationship...the one I have with spring, summer and early fall. The parting from something I love to something that I find more challenging....winter.

And yet, winter can be so satisfying. My introverted side gets to fully exercise, tucked in and away. I own down filled duvets, coats and mitts, good boots, funky hats. I know many stunning trails and dogs who love to walk. I have a woodstove. So it's not winter per say. It is the transition to winter from a more colourful, higher energy state.

Much like menopause I guess. A transition.

Here's a wee bone that I would like to pick.

Notice that I did not use universal language, the royal 'we' and suggest that you too feel as I about November. Instead, I took ownership of my own feelings.

Currently, I could list a arms length of friends, who are giddy ...darn well busting with excitement about this month. They love every grey sky, soggy leaf, frost frozen plant.

I find these friends charming and yet slightly annoying. I'm attached to my grim reaper November attitude. Heaven forbid that my attitude adjust and I become more accepting of what is.

Here's how I handle them. I let them be cheerful. I don't try to convince them that my way, the dark and winding road, is the only sane approach to handling November. Secretly, deep down, I do hope that some of their 'come what may' vibe will help temper my doomed view. But I also stand firm in my negative perspective. I don't want to be cajoled out of my headspace. I'd rather find my way through, adjusting if I please, because a shift in my approach simply makes more sense to me.

I hate it when people tell me how I feel. Or when they incorrectly assume I feel as they do.

Unlike November, I pre-decided to take My Menopause ride with a sense of adventure and a bag full of curiosity. Humor too. Given My Menopause trip will last a stunning dozen years, give or take, I'm looking for a long, hardy laugh, the easiest passage and an interesting experience. I aspire to be the cover girl for Natural Menopause.

You may not feel the same way. And that's fine with me.

As my friend Pierre says, "Vive la difference!"

Sue Richards

Tag: menopause