Margaret Mead called it “Post Menopausal Zest” and it is real.? Once the trials and tribulations of the first fifty years are over we suddenly look around and realize we are not tired. This is the time to make a list of all the things you wish you had done before. Sometimes it is best to allow yourself a little time to unwind first.? Play a song on your MP3 or CD player.? Look deeply for a while at the sky.? Gaze at a flower or a leaf.? Decompress. Then, find a quiet place and begin writing.? List things no matter how unusual or impractical. No one ever has to see this list. Enjoy yourself. Then go on about your daily routine.? Later go back and look at the list you have made.? Is there something on it that “jumps out” at you?? Is there something you could do right away? If so why not do it?

There will also be things on your list that are out of reach.? But how far out of reach are they?? I went back to college at fifty and starting from scratch earned a degree in Psychology.? Some women join a group. If you always wanted to run for office, find out where the nearest campaign center is and join up.? You never know where it could lead. If there are things you wish you had learned to do that are simply impossible due to age related lack of agility, either work on regaining your supple body or else become and fan of whatever sport or athletic endeavor you are passionate about.

You have no idea how great your potential may be.? Stretch yourself. Do not allow a negative thought to enter your mind. If in the past someone told you that you could not do something and you believed them, think again. So many of us are stopped by some imagined lack in ourselves. Many are still replaying old tapes of conversations held years ago with a person who discouraged or forbid following a loved path.? Rewrite your tapes.

Please let me know of any successes you have. I am cheering for you!

Read my book Ahead of the Curve, an intimate conversation with women in the second half of life.