Open Letter to Women
Notes on a body’s midlife storms
You were not prepared. It is likely that your body, without your knowledge or consent, already has begun to upend your perception of yourself and the universe. It will suck.
They prepare you for your driver’s test, your SAT, your wedding. There is a plethora of relationship and sex advice. Advice on how to cook, garden, use your computer, parent. Classes and books — whole sections of libraries and bookstores devoted to unraveling the mysteries of life. Why, then, the dearth of guidance and information when it comes to a woman’s midlife—the “change”—that more than half the population will face? Oh, sure, it’s out there—books, articles, even talk shows will address peri/menopause—but the event (or, rather, the slow, unfolding process) is like a sneak attack in our youth-obsessed culture. No one is told to seek information or educate themselves before the fact, when it could help. No, we seek it at 3 a.m., in a panic, and devour it in the hope that something, anything, can save us. No one will prepare you, and on the eve of your commitment, your mother will say, “Now that you mention it, it was difficult at times. I do remember crying for days on end.” Thanks for the heads up, Ma.
The female body is an amazing thing. It has ferried you this far, with its cycles, its ebb and flow. Perhaps it has given you…
