Women Of Our Generation : Our Journey

I’m going to ask you to take an adventure with me, back to a time when you were a confident, carefree little girl, and the world was your oyster.  Back to a time that you were being active, having an adventure, just having fun and you heard the phrase “little girls don’t do that!” 
“Little girls don’t make loud noises.”  “Little girls don’t play rough.”  “Little girls don’t hang upside down on the monkey bars”,... because little girls wear skirts.

I was a very active little girl.  I was told I sounded like an elephant going up and down the stairs and it was not very lady-like.  I had to do the dishes while my younger brother got to drive the riding mower.  And, at the elementary school I attended, little girls weren’t allowed to wear pants.

Many of us were born at the time of the Women’s Rights Movement.  We saw women burning their bras on television, declaring their freedom for all to see,.  We heard Helen Reddie sing “I am woman, hear me roar!”  And, we felt powerful.

But, at home, we were being raised by June Cleaver.  At home, in our communities, in our churches, we were being taught, even if only by example, to become a wife, a mother, a caregiver, devoted to the care of others.  So, the message we got was a little confused.  Helen invited us to roar.  But, society, as a whole, asked us to do it quietly and in a lady-like fashion.

So, we moved into maturity, menopause for some of us, and because of the Woman’s Movement we know we have choices.  We’ve just forgotten to choose.  We know we want excitement, or adventure, to play hard, or be loud, but we just don’t know how to make it happen...Or, we’re afraid. 

We don’t have a clue what it looks like to be female, 50, and vitally active.  And, that’s what makes it hard.  We don’t have role models or media images of adventurous mature women to model our behavior after...because we are the first.  As baby boomers, we are the first generation to reach this age and still be young.

Historically, the phases of womanhood have been girl, wife, mother/caregiver and CRONE!  We are the first generation of women that are reaching maturity and feel as though life is just beginning.  We’re not ready to be crones.

Like many women, when my kids finished school, and left home, I was lost.  I had no identity. I had no clear path.  I felt I had been forced into retirement from the greatest job I could have imagined.  And, when I looked around to see what I was supposed to be doing next there were no images.  Helen Reddie was all done singing.

But, that was when I realized the power of change was still there.  We are still the future of the Women’s Rights Movement.  We get to make the rules and create the images of what a woman of maturity looks like in her prime.  It is our turn to ROAR!

We get to define what young girls today envision themselves doing as mature women.  And, that’s powerful!  My son has a friend, a young girl of 24.  After meeting me she said it had never occurred to her that a woman in her 50’s could be athletic, could be active, could be thin.  I was so proud to provide this image for her.

Through my journey I felt called to help women define that role and create those images.  I realized that when I provided a supportive, nurturing environment, women wanted to have physical experiences.  They wanted challenge or to take risks, provided they felt safe and supported while doing it.

I was amazed with the results of these outings.  These women were so brave.  But, the truth is they had accomplished something far greater than snowboarding, or indoor rock climbing, or road cycling.  They had pushed back against the rules of their childhood.  They had risked social ridicule, even if only in their own minds.  They had redefined the role of middle aged women for all of us.

I believe that everyone has a little dream of an adventure stored away somewhere.  We just need the safety, confidence and support to make it ‘OK’. 

I’m going to ask you to explore your heart, maybe your ‘dreams diary’ from your childhood for an adventure that might be a little loud, a little rough, or a little wild and have the courage to reach for that adventure.  Because now...it’s OK.

By stepping into the bold role you were meant to lead, the world is your oyster, once again; wonderful new doors will open.  And, life will become the adventure you’d like it to be.

And, by being brave, bodacious women today, together, you and I, can become the role models for the women of tomorrow.