Qualification of ‘ Power…..’

 So how do us sixty year olds qualify to use ‘ Power of Women in our Sixties’.   Power is a very strong word yet I do choose to use it.  It has to be earned and at this stage in our lives; I believe we have done just that.

We have experienced this world for 60 years and tested everything in it!  We have been babies, young children, teenagers, been there for the first day of a new job, attended interviews - successful or not, we have worked with inspiring or dreadful co-workers, fallen in love and out of it, been jealous, envious, let down or supported in every way.  We have learnt to handle money, health and emotions. 

We have either been mothers, wives or carers and handled a job, voluntary work and been ill – all at the same time in many cases!  Friends have come in and out of our lives, for however long and we continue to grow older gracefully, intelligently with a willingness to learn more and more about ourselves.

When we were young, in our teens, it was quite a different world than it is today.  We were believers and conditioned to follow what adults said and how they acted without question.  Our world was closeted and it felt quite safe.  We lived in smaller worlds and we were all very self -conscious.  We were concerned our bra straps would show, or our tights had holes in them, were our skirts too short, and did our colours match in every way.  We have come a long way and since Julia Roberts performed in ‘Erin Brockovich’ in 2000 and even our age we are now enjoying choosing coloured bra straps to match our outfit, for them to be seen! 

Then of course the Internet, has been like a huge cavern opening surely but slowly, revealing everything we have kept private i.e. periods, sex, judgment, boys, relationships.  My goodness it all became so open and nothing barred - but we all thought the same, how amazing!  Yet, I believe us sixties have kept our self-pride, a dignity and a level of decorum which keeps us apart!

There was no such thing as A.D.D., stress, anxiety or the rights and wrongs of knowing.  It was simply not discussed and suddenly you were experiencing it.  I look back and know it wasn't such an ordeal.  In todays world we listen to much hype and exaggeration by individuals who create unnecessarily anxiety - rather like listening to individuals in government.

We have flown by the seat of our pants when we have had very much less than we do now.  We have taken chances, turned ourselves around after being ‘dumped’ and fought on when the family has had a crisis.  We give of ourselves totally then cope with watching others move forward while we stay still and let them go.  The emotions have been huge!

Our power is our experience and we must seriously commend ourselves for years of training, learning, experimenting, success and failure.

Congratulations!

So, are we going to just let it all go and fade into ‘that part of life that we have let happen’.?  No!   We do have an opportunity to use it, develop it and take the power to make these ten years of our sixties something special.  If we don't believe that its all been for something, then why did we bother?  If we take each decade and write down our achievements (and failures as we did survive them), boy did we do a hell of a lot!

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