Happy International Mature Women’s Day!

I am delighted to be a mature woman!

Don’t get me wrong. There are days when I wish I could pop back into my young body and party all night wearing not much! But mostly, I am very happy with my maturity. There are some amazing benefits to being on the other side of fifty!

Mature women know who they are. They are free from their previous limits of parenting and caring for everyone. They have less oestrogen which literally alters your ability to care! Having been ‘professional carers’, we suddenly wake up and are not bothered anymore! We aren’t interested in all your shit - we just want to get on and do our thing!

I meet many mature women who are lost - they have fallen down the crack between who they used to be and who they are becoming. It's an easy crack to fall into. Many women who appear to have everything, in quiet moments will admit that they are lost. They feel out of sync with themselves. They put themselves down to be there for everyone else and forgot to pick themselves back up.

Aging is not for the faint-hearted. You need to be deliberate and committed. Committed to living your best life, deliberate about the choices you make and the boundaries you have. When you live from a place of ‘what I want’ you are energised, you are living with enthusiasm.

Life is an interesting ride as a woman. Between birth and death, there are many stages. The most significant and traditional being puberty, marriage (partnership), pregnancy, and menopause. 

At each stage, we change dramatically. The chaos of puberty where your body physically transforms. The navigation of joining your life with another and the ‘work’ of being more than someone's wife. Many then step into pregnancy which is an insane ride and if that all wasn’t enough, we then get thrown into the washing machine of menopause. All of this while building careers and lives! 

How incredible are we!!!!?

As a crazy positive person, I have always found the best in all of these stages. I have found all of these experiences powerful and redefining. I have fully embraced each stage and being mature is no different. Nothing I do is an accident. I am very deliberate about who I am and what I need and want.

I am fascinated by archetypes - especially the feminine ones. There are three archetypes that represent our main phases: the maiden, the mother and the crone.

I remember my maiden phase, blooming and blossoming! Full of possibility and passion making my way in the world. As a mother, I was nurturing, protective and creative. Nourishing everyone around me.

Now I proudly identify as a Crone. Crone is not a word that sits well with some! They hear Crone and think of a bitter, withered, old woman. Women fear becoming invisible or seen as useless but this phase offers an enormous amount of freedom! We are no longer controlled by men or needed by children. We have all the wisdom and none of the worry.

Crones and Hags have always been seen as negative terms but the word Hag comes from the Greek word ‘Hagia’ which means ‘holy one’. The positive aging movement has seen many women reframe this stage to what it rightfully is - a space of wisdom and discovery. Of being brave and confident - of stepping into our true selves once all the work has been done. 

Being a crone is fantastic. You care little about what anyone else thinks. I have zero interest in being invisible or irrelevant. I see menopause as a call to action, a portal of power to be stepped into. I can no longer bear children and have decided I no longer have to bear anything. My time for tolerating and compromising is done. Doing what you do because you love it is living from your soul with the crone's generosity. Living with enthusiasm!

“The doorway into menopause is a call to adventure. There are hidden treasures to match our wildest dreams. These riches can only be claimed if a woman is bold enough and persistent enough to answer the call. 
What is calling? Nothing less than her own soul.”
Leslie Kenton - Passage to Power

International Mature Women’s Day is a wonderful day to acknowledge the women around you. The pioneers, the brave. In years gone, knowledge and wisdom were handed down from woman to woman. In the silly, disconnected world we live in today, we miss out on that. We might get advice from our mothers, but sometimes the gap between us is just too wide. They do not really understand your current situation. Life is moving and changing at such an incredible pace that the gaps between generations are getting much bigger.

Older friends offer such good advice. Wise advice comes from wise people and in my experience, wise people are the ones who have been around the block a couple more times than you have. Friends with children a couple of stages ahead of yours; friends who will say ‘I remember going through that’ when you are facing a work, parenting or marriage crisis...Their advice might not be any good, but it certainly helps to hang out with someone who has survived whatever your current drama is.

You have two choices: you can be old or dead. I choose old. Being old is a wonderful thing if you consider the alternative!

I know that dealing with the reality of age can be difficult for so many women. Saggy boobs, lumpy tummies and wrinkled necks are not something that we necessarily enjoy. Body gratitude is the answer — being grateful and constantly reminding ourselves about all the wonderful things our bodies do and are. Most of us get the body we deserve. If we have looked after our bodies, then we get better use of them for longer. If you have wrecked your body, then you have to deal with the damage. Be nice to your body. Treat it like a friend.

International Mature Women’s Day is a day to recognize mature and confident women. Registered by famed makeup artist Laura Geller, it is meant to spotlight women who are role models and influencers every day of their lives. It’s a good time for older women to embrace self-love and a positive attitude towards aging.

In a culture that typically views aging as a period of decline, no matter how old we are or what challenges we live with, life is about continuing to grow.  Older women have an opportunity to not only mentor their children but to enrich the lives of all they associate with. 

Who are the Mature Women in your world? 
Who would you like to celebrate today?
Who has paved the way for you?
Who has been there for you?

If you are a mature wise goddess, then spend today celebrating yourself.
Invest in Yourself. Make a commitment to your body and your overall health.