Confession Is Good For The Soul… Right?

A little something about the title of this page, “Lady Lovin Her Life.”

Whenever I am asked for my email, which is ladylovinherlife@gmail.com, I usually get a reaction. “I just LOVE that!” is the typical response. That makes me feel great, and that’s exactly why I chose it…

It’s fun, it’s positive, it’s inspiring, but… there’s a little secret behind it.

It’s not exactly 100% true.

Full disclosure: I’m not always a Lady Lovin Her Life.

WHAT?!

But but but… I know, I’m supposed to be an inspiration, a beacon of guidance, a rock of support, a port in the storm. And if you’ve read my introduction, at the top left of the main page, a little ways down… okay maybe a little further down than that… I explain.

This is a real page, about real things. I don’t sugarcoat anything, not even me. I’m real too.

In fact, maybe a little too real.

When I was thinking about what to call this page, I wasn’t sure what it was going to be, or evolve into. I wanted it to be inspiring and all-encompassing. “Middle of the Road” – which is what my published column was called, didn’t seem to fit very well anymore. With every day I was leaving midlife further behind, and I needed something bigger and better. Something that reflected what I was trying to do, and where I was going, not where I’d been.

While I was thinking about it, I glanced at a little bathroom message I have stuck to my bathroom mirror, that says, “She decided to start living the life she imagined.” And that’s when I figured it out. “What would I have to change to live the life I imagine?” I asked myself. Or better yet, if I was that person, what would I be doing right now? And I would start doing that.

Or at the very least, I would stop doing something that woman wouldn’t be doing, like eating a pint of ice cream and feeling sorry for herself all day.

So I decided, in effect, to be a Lady Lovin Her Life. And if there was a part of my life I didn’t love, I worked to change it.

But that’s my confession… I’m really not a Lady Lovin Her Life. At least, not always.

Oh I have my moments, when everything is working and I’m feeling like a rock star. The days there are no aches or pains, it’s a good hair day, the hot flashes are few, I’ve lost a few pounds and my clothes fit right, and if I’m really lucky, the depression and the hormones are at bay. The sun might be out, my energy might be up, and it’s a day of rainbows and unicorns. I am a Lady Lovin Her Life! For a little while anyway.

On other days, something will ache for no reason, my hair won’t do a thing, I can’t cool down for the life of me, and I feel fat, old and ugly. Of course, then the depression and hormones decide to kick me while I’m down and I have to lock myself in a closet so I won’t hurt anyone. Problem is, I’m still in there with myself. Yes, the Splendiferous Being of Light and Wonder, I am not.

Sometimes when I look at the title of this page, I hope people realize that it’s a work in progress, being a Lady Lovin Her Life. I hope to be one every day at some point, despite the pains, the hair, the flashes, the depression and the hormones. That’s the goal. I may never hit it, but the success here is in the attempt, I think. To keep reaching for it, to stay aware and keep striving to find more ways to love my life. I’m right there in the trenches with you, believe me.

This page is dedicated to you, regardless if you are a Lady or a Gentleman trying to Love Their Life. It’s my hope that by sharing the vulnerabilities in my life, that we find some common ground. A place that will spark hope and inspiration for an age group seemingly ignored and unsupported by almost every level of media, social or otherwise. We are here, we are relevant, we are many. Don’t forget all you have to offer the world, even if the world doesn’t always seem to appreciate it.

Just keep on keepin’ on… eat a pint of ice cream when you need to… and keep Lovin Your Life!