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Living the Wise Woman’s Way
By Gail Patterson, CEC
The rebellious, rule-breaking, defiant generation of Baby Boomers is
approaching the so called “golden years”. Did we ever really think about
becoming the senior citizens of this world someday? Who? Us? We were too
busy turning the social order of the 60s and 70s upside down, to think
about what life would be like thirty or forty years later. Well, guess
what? Here we are, and Boomers are now considered middle aged. Amazing!
The role of women in this time of Life is, predictably, not like that of
their mothers or grandmothers. Boomer women who forged new trails into
business, medicine, religion, the military, space travel, government,
and the raising of a new breed of children, are not approaching their
mature years quietly. How could they? We are rewriting the scripts for
ourselves, and looking to make our second half of life a passionate work
of art!
As I approached my fiftieth birthday, I was like a kid anticipating the
holidays! I could not wait for that magical day when I reached the half
century mark. Rather than bemoan the fact that I had turned the big
5-0H!, I was thrilled to move into a new role in my life-- that of the
Wise Woman. What could be better? What a kick! I had arrived!!
Wise Women have “been there, done that, and have the t-shirts to prove
it!” Whether the t-shirts are real or virtual, we have all lived long
enough and experienced enough to know what Life is about. Haven’t we? We
have “earned our stripes”, so to speak, by having lived through the ups
and downs of Life to this point, and we have wisdom to share with
others, and wisdom to help guide us on our journeys. We have great
depth, and also that “zest for living” that anthropologist Margaret Mead
ascribed to the older women she met in her world travels.
Far from being “done”, we are a generation of women just gearing up for
our adventures! Just as we rebelled against the stereotypes that defined
our roles as young women, we are redefining what it means to be an
“older woman”. And guess what? We are doing an awesome job of it! Record
numbers of Boomer women are striking out into the world and starting new
businesses, changing careers, returning to school for degrees,
dedicating themselves to non-profit and charitable causes, and in
countless ways, staking a claim on this time of Life as My Time! They
are taking passions they once had, but may have set aside due to the
demands of their younger lives, and rekindling the flames. The
excitement is palpable in them—the gleam in their eyes, the spring in
their step, the enthusiasm that they exude. Look out! Here they come!
There are a great many amazing Wise Women leading the way. To name just
a few, there are: Christiane Northrup, MD who is blending the spiritual
and physiological aspects of femininity to offer a new paradigm for
understanding ourselves; Caroline Myss, PhD giving us a new perspective
on our psycho-spiritual reality; Joan Borysenko, PhD a leader in
understanding the mind/body connection; Candice Pert, PhD who explains
the biochemical aspects of our emotions; and the list goes on to include
the famous, as well as the awesome woman living next door who lives Life
with purpose and enthusiasm.
We have role models everywhere, and we are role models ourselves. There
never has been a generation quite like ours, and we are leading our
younger sisters into a whole new world, formerly dreaded, now to be
celebrated! Getting older is not something to dread or mourn; it is an
awesome time of rebirth and reinvention. We have raised kids, had
careers, been in long term relationships, loved and lost, and we are
full of wisdom and experience to use going forward. We know what we
like, and we know what we don’t like, and using our wisdom we can
consciously make choices as we build our futures the way we want them to
be. What an adventure! How exciting to be in this place at this time.
The sky is the limit. Let’s get on with it, shall we?
Gail Patterson, CEC (www.wisewomansway.com)
is a personal development coach and founder of The Wise Woman’s Way. She
guides Baby Boomer women into the exciting adventure of the second half
of life. Using her skills as a coach and corporate trainer, she conducts
seminars, teleclasses, group and individual coaching sessions, locally
and nationwide. She can be reached at
gail@wisewomansway.com
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