I hate numbers, but we have a number for everything: fax number, cell number, office number, house number, address number, and grades. We even have perfumes with numbers and scotch whiskey that’s labeled by age!
Then there is that number we call “years old.” Who made that up? When we are young we want to be more years old. When our number gets bigger, we want to be more years young.
I would like to have a conversation with the number fairy who decided what number we are when we begin talking, walking, eating solid food, and yes, pooping in the potty. The number fairy has convinced us that perimenopause and menopause begins when we are OLD. NOT TRUE! This misconception causes shmirshkies to be in tremendous PM&M (perimenopause and menopause) denial and suffer unnecessary pain.
Just the other day, I was walking with my friend, age 49, and she says, “Wow wasn’t last night hot!” We live at the beach, the evening temperatures drop 10 degrees at night – it was around 65 that night. She continues, “I woke up three times all wet and sweaty in the middle of the night.” I turned to her and said, “You’re probably having night sweats.” That wasn’t exactly the response she was looking for. She said, “Really? But I’m too young for menopause. I was hoping it was just a fluke.” I asked her how many fluke night sweats she’s had recently. “About three times a week,” she replied. There’s another number for ya!
Menopause comes in all kinds of flavors. There is premature menopause, early menopause, perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Some shmirshkies begin the storm of symptoms in their 30’s others in their 40’s and 50’s. Chances are that when your PM&M (perimenopause and menopause) storm begins, you’re going to feel “too young” for menopause. You’re not too young for menopause, you’re just young. Some people feel young their entire lives!
I want to be like an aged scotch whiskey on the top shelf. The more years old the more revered, valuable, and delicious!
