MIDLIFE FRIENDSHIP REALITY 101

WELCOME TO MIDLIFE MEMOS
THE SWAMP GODDESS®GUIDE TO MENOPAUSAL MAYHEM AND AGING ANGST
by Wendy Kyman, Ph.D.
BLOG # 21

Have you drooled (not pretty, but known to happen) over media depictions
of friendships?
Have you seen or read the books, articles, movies and tv shows celebrating the
joys of friendships and extolling their crucial role in women's lives.

In these tales, women are present for each other, no matter what time of day
(or night), totally available, supportive, loving and giving.

This description of friendship reinforces what we have heard forever, such as:
* friendships are essential to women.
* we rely on our friends to share most, if not all, aspects of our lives.

Then we look at our own lives.
Uh-oh, something is missing.
We do not have these types of friendships.

In fact
*many of us are painfully aware that not all our friendships are joyous
or worthy of celebration.
In fact
*our friendships have conditions, rules, clear lines we can't cross, certain
times we can not rely on them, etc. etc. etc.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
What is going on?
The double milestone® of menopausal mayhem and aging angst is going on.

UNHOMEWORK
List the friends you can you can rely on unconditionally - no matter what.
List the friends who have restrictions on their availability.
Now look at yourself. Yikes!
Are you available for all of your friends, all of the time?
List those friends. Why these friends?
List the friends to whom you limit your availability.  Why?

NEXT WEEK'S TOPIC
MIDLIFE FRIENDSHIP ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT
...Has your attitude toward your friends changed during menopausal mayhem
and aging angst? Duhhh - absolutely!...

HELPFUL HINTS
Midlife memos is posted weekly.
If you click 'follower' or 'subscribe' you will
automatically receive each new one.
Or
Just come back to www.Midlifememos.com

NOTE
CONTACT INFORMATION
Email:       drwendykyman@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/drwendykyman

TO READ PREVIOUS POSTS
To the right - under BLOG ARCHIVE - click '2010' or '2011'.
Keep scrolling all the way to read any, or all, of the earlier Midlife Memos,
especially 'The Birth of Swamp Goddess' tale.
I bet you will relate.