Some of you guys are gonna want to cover your ears because I’m going to be talking about “change of life”!!! Yep, the girlie kind and the general kind! At the moment I feel like a cross between Shirley Valentine and (Aloysius) Snuffleupagus (I didn’t even know Snuffleupagus had a first name!!!). Come to think of it, his hair was a great shade of auburn - guess whose going to be making a trip to the hairdresser this week . . .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloysius_Snuffleupagus
There is a lot written and said about the physical changes of life that women experience and being a woman I feel like I have the right to speak about those firsthand. Men, I am not ignoring your experiences, I just don’t know enough about them to do them justice! Please add your comments as you see fit.
On top of the physical discomfort that hot flushes bring (I have decided that I AM global warming), I happen to live in Queensland – it’s not just the “Sunshine State” it’s also incredibly humid. I am considering moving to Antarctica where I can become my own personal ice melter and be blamed for all those icebergs floating through the Atlantic (do I have my geography right?). Some people may say that this is “God’s Country” but only if he enjoys the fires of hell!
While there is some sorrow that comes with the changing of one’s body, I am trying to be like “Costas” who tells Shirley not to hide her stretch marks, but to celebrate them because blah blah blan . . . she’s right, men are full of shit!
There are some changes that we seem to feel are BIGGER than others – first day at school; graduations; birthday with an “0” on the end of it; the birthing of children; a new millennium (who remembers Y2K and all the problems that were going to happen when the computers of the world crashed?); purchasing a home; and now a new decade – 2010, we like things that end in zero!
And what is it about a New Year? My most memorable one was spent at the base of the Edinburgh Castle listening to a concert with the moon raised directly above the castle and the snow falling. It felt like magic, and I was sure that this new year would be better than any other just because of how it had started. Why is one day any different to another just because the calendar clicked over and we get a new diary? And yet, it does feel like a new beginning, we awake feeling renewed and fresh (unless you indulged just a tad too much the night before). A new year brings with it hope and a desire to do “it” differently this year - a “change of life”.
Apart from hot flushes, what does a “change of life” bring for you? Some changes are “uncomfortable”. Some are welcome. Some are hard. Personally I tend to fight them every step of the way till I surrender exhausted (emotionally and physically) with my eyes raised to the sky shaking my fist. Maybe this “change of life” might bring with it a graciousness I don’t now feel with acceptance as its companion.
I liked some of the points made by Adrian Savage in his article “10 simple ways to save yourself from messing up your life”
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/10-simple-ways-to-save-yourself-from-messing-up-your-life.html/comment-page-5
In brief he suggests:
• Stop taking so much notice of how you feel
• Let go of worrying - it often makes things worse
• Ease up on the internal life commentary
• Take no notice of your inner critic
• Give up on feeling guilty
• Stop being concerned what the rest of the world says about you
• Stop keeping score
• Don’t be concerned that your life and career aren’t working out the way you planned
• Don’t let others use you to avoid being responsible for their own decisions
• Don’t worry about your personality - you don’t really have one
He makes some interesting points, some of which I will be trying to incorporate in my year of “no new projects” – 2010 is my year to finish off the past decade and tidy any loose ends before taking on any new ventures.
I'm off to watch Shirley again . . . I feel a kinship with her . . . or maybe I'm just hoping that one day I'll get lost in the Greek Islands and meet a Costas! Actually, I think its more about having a love affair with myself and her "F" plan!!!
