The Post-Menopausal Artist Moves to Miami

Young women hear about menopause and they wonder how it will affect them.  The perimenopausal among us complain about an array of symptoms that they experience or expect to experience.  I know that I certainly blamed menopause for a whole range of things that were in one way or another related to my age at the time.  What I never expected was an enormous burst of energy that helped me cope with what was happening to me in my own life then and which has allowed me the opportunity to carry on after my husband's death and thrive.  Is it hormonal?  I believe so.  Because menopause comes at a crossroad in our lives.  Our  grown children move away. In addition, in my case, my husband died and I was left with this life to live on my own and a major lust for life that I never expected without him.

I hosted a thousand people in two states for the weddings of my four children by myself.  I sold my house in New York and moved to Miami by myself.  In fact, I spent the last night in the old house on a mattress in the floor of the bedroom I had shared with my husband in the company of my dog and two cats!  At 3am I woke up in the cavernous house and thought it was time.  My belonging were already en route to Miami and I decided that I needed to drive with my dog rather than fly.  I needed to be actively leaving.  Physically, emotionally and spiritually leaving that house which had housed us all and gave us so much pleasure. I loaded my overnight bag in the car in addition to a few odds and ends that had remained and with the dog as my only company, I drove to my new destination while it was still dark out.

When I was crossing the George Washington Bridge, I turned on the radio and one of those evangelical types told me "you are going to your future, it will be everything you want it to be" and on and on he spoke... directly to me.  It was spooky!  South and down we went Ume and I only stopping for a few hours of sleep in a dog friendly motel on our way. I was never sleepy and like anyone who's driven down 95 to Florida will confirm with few distractions apart from the famous signs of the "South of the Border" complex.

We made it to Miami the next day in the afternoon. I managed to avoid speeding tickets and the car worked like a dream. My energy needed to be and was boundless.

After settling down in my new home I started painting. And you know what?  I couldn't stop!  I had no idea how to paint so I signed up for classes in acrylics.  Took one class with a lovely lady in Coconut Grove and was inspired to just go home and paint. Then came the jewelry making and recently the "Shibori" which I talk about in another part of this blog.

Its that energy again.  That creative energy that pulls me out of my shell and reminds me that I am not alone. I am on my own. I'm in good company.

The post-menopausal artist with her grand-daughter Lily