It’s been said that when together, men talk about things, women talk about feelings. I agree with this generalisation but when you combine men and women, things and feelings also combine.
This blog will talk about a lot of things but there will be a lot of feelings involved. Whether I talk about creativity or relationships or roaming through the bush looking at trees, there will always be the unspoken question, How do I/you feel about this?
Under the title Matters of the Heart, I’ll cover topics that interest me as a middle-aged woman. I tell you this not to deter you but to help you understand my viewpoint.
Clarification: I don’t wish to imply that this blog will only be interesting to middle-aged women. I can have an engaging and credible conversation with a middle-aged man (whom many of my friends are) or a young man (whom my sons are) or a woman of any age including the ninety-six year old neighbour and twenty year old niece. But the point of view I express comes from age, experience, education and observation as seen through the eyes of a woman. And that means with feeling.
Under the category Matters of the Heart, there’s going to be more feelings than the other categories. I’ll discuss relationships, grief, joy, duty and other women’s issues. I’ll be as authentic as I can without being shocking, at least for now.
I believe women (and probably men) frequently go through a change of life at this age, and I don’t mean menopause, although that can help. (I wonder if the Chief of the Universe actually created menopause to shake women out of their complacency and get them motivated to begin a new stage. I suspect there’s a male version of menopause too!) Restlessness, risk-taking, activism, addiction and reinvention are all common side-effects.
I want to discuss it all. So please share your thoughts with me when I post a new piece. I want this to be a hub for discussion and interaction. Agree and disagree. Be female, male or neutral. It’s all good! Just put some feeling into it!
Carla Simmons Writer 
I don’t know if the ‘Chief of the Universe’ created menopause to shake women out of their complacency.
Traditionally Menopause was seen as a time of great change – which it obviously is. A woman’s ability to bear children is coming to an end and she moves from fertile earth mother to the wise crone figure.
In this modern day women are busy doing and being all that has become the ‘norm’.
To many women Menopause and her symptoms have become a nuisance, an inconvenience and unpleasant stage that must be endured.
Modern Medicine generally provides ‘relief’ by suppressing symptoms so that the effects of Menopause can be minimised.
When you really think about it, it’s quite outrageous.
A woman’s body is changing in a way that can never be reversed. The consequences of this change will impact every part of her being.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Menopause was was celebrated and time given to explore what is on offer rather than view it with fear and dread?
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