I can delay putting on the heater or a jumper, while I bask in the warmth of getting older. If I could I would force my body to only have a hot flush in Winter. Menopause is not fun, your moody, you're facing the fact that you can never have children again, some of us get headaches, we feel weak, and of course we feel old. I'm 56, my knees are shot, I can't shake a cold like I used to, I'm overweight, I should give up smoking, and I'm tired, all the damn time. Of course if I lost weight and exercised more, I'd probably be fitter, I make no excuses for not exercising, except that I hate it LOL.
In Summer the hot flush takes me to the edge, doesn't matter if I'm sitting in front of the ac or standing in a cold shower, I'm burning up from the inside out. Come Winter, I sit there smugly in my t shirt, laughing at everyone huddled in front of the heater. I put the window down in the car and let that cold fresh air freeze my poor mum. I snigger when told how cold someone is. I have the fan on when I go to bed, cause I can. I have doors and windows open in the house, while everyone else goes around closing them, I am a menopausal woman hear me roar LOL.
Of course there is a down side, there always is to something we enjoy. When the hot flush does stop, and believe me they do they aren't there constantly, I am absolutely fucking freezing. I put on jumpers and jackets, turn the heater on, throw my wheat bag in the microwave, put on gloves and curse the cold through my chattering teeth. And all of that in Summer LOL. Seriously though, I am freezing. My body has felt so hot for so long, it's like being in the oven, and then your plunged into an ice filled lake. And that's when I am cursing someone for leaving a door or window open. Luckily it isn't too long before the next flush comes and I'm back stripping off the layers and laughing at everyone shivering. Before long it will be Summer again and I'll be sweating up a storm, but for now I'll bask in my warmth.
There is, of course, other things I love about Winter. The smell of smoke in the air from fireplaces, the freshness of the air, the slow cooked dinners, the cat curled up in front of the heater and, since I live in the mountains the hint of snow in the air. Now I'm older and don't want to go swimming in the creek I loved as a kid, or plunging into the local pool I can appreciate Winter more. I used to hate it, we couldn't do anything we loved to do outdoors, cause it was just to damn cold. The only thing I liked was going to a pub and having a drink in front of a huge fire. Of course, I wasn't supposed to be in the pub, but hey, who's going to throw me out now LOL. Winter meant netball season as well, which I loved, crisp apples and apple cider, picking them straight off the tree. It also meant Dad would burn off all the leaves in a huge pile and we'd get our potatoes cooking in the embers. I didn't enjoy the cold legs that we had because our school uniform was a dress, not practical pants for girls.
Sitting here at the moment as I type this with my t shirt on, and thinking why is the cat looking at the heater like it should be on, it's a gorgeous day, the temp is perfect LOL.
Catch yas
Cathy
