There’s been a lot of press about menopause and its treatment—or lack thereof—so I’m taking a moment to remember what, for me, have been the highlights so far:
- Wearing white jeans. Even if the title of the Big Mouth episode weren’t titled “Everybody Bleeds” (season 1, episode 2), we know, the minute Jessi puts on white shorts, that menstrual blood will appear at some point. I remember fighting to wear white Le Culottier jeans to an event at a girls’ school I attended for a couple of years (the expectation was that we’d all wear dresses) but that was before I got my period. Since then, I can’t remember owning a pair. Now, I have my Levi’s 501s in white, which I love immoderately.
- The wisdom of women friends. The older women I know are smart—they know things! I love carrying their wisdom with me and looking at the world through their eyes, as well as my own. Those who had children have more time, now that the young ones are mostly launched, to share their thoughts. So I’m gaining more insight all the time!
- Flowers. I have recently developed a hobby, which involves putting flowers into containers. I especially love flowers grown somewhere near the place where I’m arranging them, whether at home or abroad. The world is full of flowers: I notice them everywhere I go. It reminds me of being pregnant, when suddenly all I saw were strollers. Only now it’s wild flowers and flowers in gardens and flowers in bouquets on café tables… Beauty everywhere I turn.
- Jogging. Running, for me, involves looking at my watch and criticizing my performance when I fall short. Recently, I’ve taken up jogging, which fosters more kindness in me. The distinction between jogging and running applies to other areas of my life, as well.
- New beginnings. Menopause marks the start of my third act. What an adventure! Maybe I will write a novel. Maybe I will swim across a lake. Or maybe I will just read more novels like Miranda July’s All Fours, the best story of a woman contemplating menopause that I have ever read. July says she wrote the novel in a state of “ecstatic joy.” I believe it.
