The Mid-life Roller Coaster

The Mid-life Roller Coaster 

OR.........A person can choose to get off the roller coaster also...sometimes it is just too scary....Exhausting or a roller coaster you didn't choose to ride on...you were forced to ride it because of someone else's' choices.  


Many women in mid-life crisis put their families on an emotional, physically and spiritual roller coaster that literally changes their lives forever.


When in MLC, as women, we must realize that WE are changing and our changes do force others to change also...BUT we must be patient and understand they may not want to be on our ride. Consider what you are doing, feeling and saying in relation to others when in MLC, which may be the hardest thing you do....MLC is a very selfish event...it needs to be as we neglect ourselves up until that point...but we must not forget we are in relationships and they will be effected by our changing and our roller coaster ride.  


To help with your roller coaster ride check out Women in MLC...a website to help Women in MLC and for the partners and family of those who are on the roller coaster.

Guest Blogger: Bobbie Hinman: You Are Never Too Old To Follow Your Dreams

You Are Never Too Old To Follow Your Dreams

By Bobbie Hinman

What do you mean, “You’re too old to start a publishing company!”?

Sixty-three isn’t old!

In fact, my years of life experience have finally given me the knowledge (and admittedly, the guts) to do something that I have always wanted to do – write children’s books. I wrote several small books in college and thus began my love of children’s literature. I didn’t have time to do it right after college. I was too busy teaching and putting my husband through school. I didn’t have time to do it while I was raising a family. I always put their needs first, knowing that my time would come. And this is just the right time.

My ideas for a series of fairy books grew out of the need to explain to my ten precious grandchildren the answer to some of the universal mysteries of life, such as “How did my hair get so tangled while I was asleep?” and “Whatever happened to my other sock?” I could have submitted my ideas to other publishers and waited for the rejection letters to roll in. No, I wasn’t being overly pessimistic. It’s just a known fact in the book world that a number of rejection letters almost always precede that special acceptance letter. At 63, I didn’t want to waste any time. I decided to form my own publishing company. My other motive for going this route in place of traditional publishing was that I wanted to retain control of all of the decisions about artwork, design, and all the other headache-producing decisions. I wanted excitement, work and challenges.

My children are grown and it has become increasingly important to me to leave them a legacy, one that isn’t measured in dollars and cents, one that will leave them something that they, in turn, can leave to their children.

   I have returned to my educational roots, started my own publishing company, and have released two children’s books. The Knot Fairy explains one of the universal mysteries of life – “How did my hair get so tangled while I was sleeping?” The Sock Fairy reveals the answers behind the dilemma of missing socks. Soon, my third book, The Belly Button Fairy will be released. In just a few short years, my books have won a total of eleven children’s book awards. But the real award is seeing the pride in my grandchildren’s eyes and knowing that this legacy will live on, and that I have taught them two valuable lessons in life:

(1) you can do whatever you want if you just work hard and never give up; and

(2) It’s never too late to follow your dreams.

Visit Bobbie Hinman at:

http://bestfairybooks.com

http://bobbiehinman.blogspot.com

Inventing The Rest of Our Lives: EYE CONTACT

Inventing The Rest of Our Lives: EYE CONTACT 

An excellent article by Suzanne Braun Levine, the author of  Inventing the Rest of Our Lives: Women in Second Adulthood

Me Braun Levine is one of the top writers in her niche.  She is releasing another book in April called "Fifty is the New Fifty", where she interviewed many women 50, 60, 70 years old about moving in to the second half of their lives.  I am sure she will not disappoint, as all her other books and articles are thoroughly researched giving an up-to-date perspective on mid-life transition.  Her perspective could be categorized as a feminist viewpoint, supported by Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda, Marlo Thomas and Isabella Rossellini.

"Ten lessons to maximize creativity and happiness in the second half of life

In this inspiring new book, Suzanne Braun Levine follows her groundbreaking Inventing the Rest of Our Lives with fresh insights, research, and practical advice on the challenges and unexpected rewards for women in their fifties and beyond. Rich with anecdotes from the front lines of self-reinvention, this book captures the voices of women who are confronting change, renegotiating their relationships, and discovering who they are now that they are finally grown up. Among the lessons are: “No” is not a four-letter Word, on the energizing power of standing up for what you mean and what you want; Do unto yourself as you have been doing unto others, a new way of getting yourself to the top of the to-do list; and Your marriage can make it, reassurance that changing your outlook doesn’t have to mean walking away from your marriage. Shaped by Levine’s empathetic and lively voice, this book is about wisdom, survival, joy, and camaraderie. It reads like a conversation among women who know what they are talking about and want to share what they have discovered." (From Amazon)

"Eye Contact" is an article about her realization of how people communicate more intimately via the internet and her own struggle with this new found intimacy.   In the end, she has decided that "Eye Contact" is not necessarily needed to understand or feel the emotions that people relay over the internet.  Even Ms Braun-Levine is growing in the second half of her life!

Please join us at Women in MLC, a forum created for women who are in Mid-Life Crisis and for the men who love them. 

On The Humorous Side: The Hot Flash Club

Welcome to the Hot Flash Club!

Whether you like it or not...this is the beginning of the rest of your life and it will be ushered in on a heat wave...it's too bad it couldn't happen on the beaches of Maui or the Bahamas...reality decided to have it happen across the landscape of your face, neck and body...OH, JOY!!! Isn't middle-age an adventure?!!!

Prepare yourself to coordinate your wardrobe with your coloring from now on...RED is going to be your enemy for the near term! Make sure you don't wear all red, because when you have a hot flash your clothes and skin will blend together...you'll look like a red hot chili pepper and I don't mean you will look like a member of the band with the same name...Oh…you'll look hot, but not sexy...hot...you'll be burning red hot all over...and there will be nothing chilly about you...your new nickname will be Pepper.

Don't worry though you'll learn how to do the newest mid-life dance craze...The Hot Flash...it is a striptease of sorts...there is nothing sexy about it...when you are finished you are dripping with sweat, standing naked in front of a fan and God help the man that wants to touch you after your performance! Your response to this will be: "You're kidding me...Right?!"

Your newest friend, who is replacing your old "friend" is full of as many surprises...but this time you will discover places that you never knew could sweat...new places that have aches and pains...but here is the bonus...you won't remember why...it's kind of like when you gave birth...all the pain of labor...you cursed your husband for putting through it…but afterward you don't remember any of it...so stupid you...you, do it again...then, you remember...you curse your husband...then forget again. Oh...yeah...you start to ramble… a lot because you can't remember your point. Yes, it affects your brain...the few brain cells you have left.

And the grand prize for entering into the Hot Flash Era is (drum roll, please!)

You will never have to worry about wearing white pants ever again!

Welcome...to Mid-Life...embrace the "hot"...and whatever you do... don't sweat the small stuff...it will be over in a flash!

Amy L. Harden Copyright 2008