Midlife Turnaround

Well, here I am, back from the depths of .... somewhere. I don't want to use any negative terms here (I've been falling into that too easily, as Chillymama can attest. Why does the woman put up with me?) - so we'll just call it a chasm. I'm not all the way out yet, still climbing up the sides, but dammit, I've got a toehold now. Which is ten toes more than I had before.

A couple of thanks, besides to Chilly and my other buds (you know who you are), go out to two special inspirations: the article "What I Love About Menopause" by Marcelle Pick OB/GYN on the nicely unusual, homey-feeling Women to Women web site, and to Sue Shellenbarger, author of "The Breaking Point: How Midlife Crisis is Transforming Today's Women." I read the book last night, and it was good. Not a fantabulous book, mind you, but good. About 30-40% of it is that "research has shown that 16% of women blah-blah-blah and 22% of men blah-blah-blah" mind-numbing statistical stuff I can only take in limited quanties. The remaining 60% concentrated on stories of midlife craziness, told by fifty different women who have lived to tell.

And that's the part that enlightened me. The living to tell part. 'Cause for a long while there, I wasn't at all sure anyone ever made it out of this stage alive.

A couple of weeks ago, in mid-July, I did a crazy, wonderful midlife thing. I hopped on a plane (a very tiny one -- my! jets have been downsized since the last time I flew -- 1979?) and headed home to the midwest for a visit. Now I know many of you are asking, the midwest? Why? The reason I know, is that many of my own friends were asking the same. Well, the short answer is, Colorado has become the new California. Sad but true. And yours truly is from the midwest. Wisconsin, specifically. I miss the friendly people, I miss the water, I miss the more laid-back life. I'm not a city girl. Never have been.

Anyway, I loved it! Humidity and all. It was so green, it almost hurt my eyes. The people were friendly. Most everyone smiled at me. Geez, whatta change!

And if I wasn't afraid I'd freeze my tushie off so far north, La Crosse, WI would be my bullseye of choice. Right now, I'm being a little more cautious and looking at the more southern locale of Rockford, IL. Any midwesterners out there that would like to comment? Clue me in? (Set me straight? a few of my friends silently mutter. The girl's lost her mind.)

Perhaps. :-)