Mental-Pause

I am smiling my way through the book called "Chicken Soup for the Soul in Menopause". Ah yes, the sisterhood of the forgetful [what did I come in here for?], the hot flashes [Mom, what's a hot flash?], the weight gain [whoa! where did this spare tire come from?! do I really weigh as much now as I did when I was 9 months pregnant with my kiddos?], the mood swings...
The next generation thinks I'm hopelessly 'old' and the husband sighs "How much longer?" The MIL marvels at my new internal thermostat- me of the formerly 'always cold' variety, now of the fan-blowing-on-me-all-night-positively-melting variety. This too shall pass. At least that's what they tell me. I can't ignore it, can't fast forward through it. Nothing to do but laugh. Here is a poem from the book to help with that-

KEEP THE CHANGE

There once was a woman

with worries galore,

who went to the doctor

as if at death's door.

 

"Now tell me your symptoms,"

the doctor replied.

And here's what she said

as she trembled and cried:

 

"Early one morning,

I went number one,

and I heard some clinking,

and when I was done,

 

"I looked in the toilet,

and guess what I saw...

a small pile of pennies,

and I was in awe!

 

"And then the next morning,

I heard the same sound,

and there in the toilet,

some nickels I found!

 

"And on the third morning,

I saw a few dimes,

and after that quarters

a number of times!"

 

"There's no need to worry,"

said old Doctor Bliss.

"A woman your age

will experience this.

 

"It's really quite normal.

I know that it's true.

There's no need to fear

what has happened to you.

 

"See, you're nearly fifty,

and this isn't strange.

To put it quite simply,

you've gone through the change."

-Albert Van Hoogmoed