Let’s talk about ageism, baby.
Ageism is real and it sucks.
I believe it’s worse for women than for men.
Every woman of a certain age is in control of her thoughts around ageism.
It is time for a serious shift of perspective.
We are vital, vibrant, radiant, sexual, sensual, and relevant. We have passion, desires and under no circumstances should we ever be dismissed as yesterday's news.
The time has come for women to dig deep and discover who they are now that the roles of yesterday have been satisfied. There is a treasure trove of innate wisdom within you, just waiting to be acknowledged. You may have felt it before. It can appear as a gnawing, a yearning, or even an angst that just won’t stop. This last year we have been spending a lot more time alone in quiet stillness. This has been such a gift, the perfect time to percolate new thoughts and get to know yourself as you are now. We get to take all the years spent doing and integrate all those beautiful threads into the tapestry of our life. It’s really exciting to think about all that you’ve accumulated over the first 5 or 6 decades, and decide what thoughts you keep and what will go in the dead file. You get to decide how you live the rest of your life, your way.
If we didn’t have to see any more beauty ads, apply for jobs, find a mate, look 25 years younger, or have a body that’s tight, a booty that’s firm and a belly that’s flat, we’d be loving life. There is so much external bullshit being hurled our way.
It’s so difficult to stay present in the crone zone.
Consider this your invitation to say “no thank you” to the crone zone, to this notion that all women of a certain age are the old, nasty crone from Snow White personified. That’s certainly not my truth. My truth is that any woman who owns all that she is - her whole perfectly imperfect self, her loose skin, her wrinkles or botox, her grey or dyed hair, her jeans and a graphic tee or her St. John’s wear - is honoring her journey of life.
There is only one way to avoid aging and it’s called dying. It’s an honor to get older. While I don’t think every human is ready to get behind me on this, I do think every woman is. There’s an inner peace and contentment when you can just be and be happy just being. When we have the ability to reflect on our unique individual journey, all the twists and turns, the perceived mistakes that were blessings in disguise, everything that has led us to where we are today...well it’s freaking amazing and wonderous. Our journey continues through twists and turns. Hopefully we make fewer mistakes, but maybe not. Life is beautiful, and messy, and fun, and an adventure just waiting for us. And that journey is not over just because we have been walking this Earth a little longer than some.
As Mary Oliver asks in her poem “Summer Days”,
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
I say live it until you can’t. Live it with grace, humor, and an open heart. Maybe you’ll be blessed with a few like-minded friends with whom you can get together, a loving family, a hobby or two, and memories that make you smile.
I want my Spirit to be so happy she was in this body that there’s a party, just for her, waiting on the other side.
So women of a certain age - are you ready to reframe, reshape, and break the Ageism mold?
