What stage of life are you in? The photo below was me at 59, on vacation, thinking about turning sixty. My son snapped the shot & told me later he thought I “seemed pensive, but was aging well.”
As women, we go through so many life stages:
Adolescence brings those hormones & body changes. We begin to know our body & form our intuition.
Young maidenhood brings creative potential, exploring & learning (usually college). Brain power peaks at age 22; physical strength peaks at 25. In our late twenties, by age 26-29 years we have our executive brain function (in the prefrontal cortex) well developed.
Older maidenhood (usually in our 30’s) finds us settling in to career, looking for pleasure, thinking about marriage & finding a life partner. Career & money are important to us then.
With the birth of our first child we enter motherhood. Motherhood challenges us with the most life lessons. The biggest one initially is accepting responsibility (to care for another human). Of course, there are many psychological changes associated with pregnancy & lactation that mothers undergo.
Older mothers experience more fully the competing demands of career & family. This period is when we are truly challenged with finding life balance and juggling our responsibilities.
The mature stage begins with perimenopause, when we experience great physical, mental & emotional changes. We tend to become thankful & content, & we begin to share our wisdom. As elders we have sexual mastery & freedom to explore. Our experience allows us to provide our insight to others. This practice is called generativity.
What stage are you in? Which lessons have been your toughest? Please let me know.
