Who watched Oprah yesterday? Yes, I do watch her often. Say what you will - I know a lot of people don't care for her... I even know a man who claims she's a cult leader!... Anyway, I usually watch Oprah in the afternoon, because by 4:00 my day is winding down and I like the company. We don't subscribe to cable or dish TV anymore, so we now get a clean and simple two channels. It's easy to decide what to watch!
I don't watch my friend Oprah when she does those horrid tear-jerker stories. It's dangerous to play with fire and glass while sobbing uncontrollably. The shows I look for are like the one yesterday. She talked to Dr. Christiane Northrup about being "a woman of a certain age". That's most everyone I know! And it was definitely me yesterday. I needed help, and there it was! I'm not a big fan of doctors, and I don't much trust our so-called health care system in this country. But Dr. N rocks, my friends. She was talking straight to me about how we all tend to do, do, do for others for years and years, leaving ourselves for last, and how about now, it's no surprise that we start to fall apart physically and emotionally. The word "depleted" kept coming up. Oh yeah...
I watched the whole hour while making new versions of Heart Beads. That told me I was on to something. And damn, if I didn't well up with tears a few times. Permission to say This is what I need now is pretty big to an aging ex-catholic people-pleaser. As soon as the credits rolled, I ran inside and ordered her book from Amazon. I even paid for rush shipping. I'll add it to the stack on my nightstand, where I'm now rotating between "Eat, Pray, Love", "Zen Flesh Zen Bones", "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind", and "A Handmade Life" by Bill Coperthwaite.
What can I say? I'm 50. This is new territory for me. All the rules have changed, and even though there's still work and family stuff as part of the regular menu, it's finally time to add a little something extra just for me. How about you? If "depleted" fits into your self-description in any way, it's time to take a closer look. Go on! You have permission!
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I have seen Dr. Northrup on PBS previously and I am about halfway thru her book. It's wonderful and very comforting to know that we are all out there going thru the same things together. There is hope and there are answers. And, yes, we can and should be doing more for ourselves at this stage of the game. After all, we deserve it! You are lucky in that you get to do for a living what you love, but for those of who don't - take the time to stop and do things that you really enjoy at least once a week, if not more. It will make a difference.
Kim, hang in there - we are all in this stage of life together and we'll get thru it!
Best from Sandy in NYC!
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