The Pause

A cold day of winter,I was at the bank with Amma to get a demand draft.The dawn fog had not cleared and sunlight was just seeping in,typical Bangalore weather.While the staff was making one I asked her to sit in the waiting area reading the newspaper and magazines piled on the table.Standing at the counter I turned and stared at her.She looked like a school teacher with her spectacles on the nose.I have always loved that look of hers.She would have made an awesome one,only if she had studied more.But then life took its own course,she is now a mother of two kids whom she loves the most.And for her that has always been more than enough.I smiled at this thought,and in a blink of a moment I noticed beads of sweat on her forehead.Her ears and cheeks had turned beet red.She was blowing little puffs of air.I walked towards her and asked"What happened Amma?".She gave me the usual 'I-Am-Alright' expression of hers and said "Nothing!Just get me a glass of water,and please ask somebody here to switch on the fan Raksha.It is so very hot".And there I was standing right next to her wearing an inch thick sweater swearing at the cold.It was the 'hot flush' yet again!

"A woman must wait for her ovaries to die before she can get her rightful personality back.Post-menstrual is the same as pre-menstrual;I am once again what I was before the age of twelve:a female human being who knows that a month has thirty day,not twenty-five,and who can spend every one of them free of the shackles of that defect of body and mind known as femininity."

-Florence King-

The journey called life from cradle to grave especially for women is filled with many duties and responsibilities.They have an inherent quality to give but expect little.You may ask what about the demands that they make everyday,well some of them may seem like reckless expenditures but a lot are really genuine.One among them is 'Good Health',I strongly feel women have somewhere forgotten to work on this or bring this in their demand list,far is the thought about the rest of this world paying attention to this issue.And amongst the womankind the least we care for are the elderly,sad but true.How often do we water the old tree in our backyard,ever wondered?

Women play umpteen roles all their life.I believe there is nothing more important than being and appreciating the fact that we are born as one with dreams to live,power to look after ourselves and a zeal to use our opportunities even when we are alone.This post is about the role of a woman in taking care of herself when nobody else will,being independent and accepting life's hardest changes,nothing else.Our old tree can definitely stand strong!

March 8th is observed as International Women's Day.When all the campaigns for gender rights,women empowerment and grand celebrations are on with all the hullabaloo it would be worthwhile if we look at the imperceivable problems of being a woman.Geriatric women health care is still beginning to see the light of the day in our country.The main concern in this group is for the complex changes that occur in the body and mind during the process of ageing which shall affect the individual's level of functioning and well being.And 'Menopause' is one natural event that all ladies invariably one or the other day have to go through.Apart from all the fun that the world makes of old ladies,their mood swings and else,let us realize the fact that menopause isn't funny.It is a physiological transition due to hormonal changes,very normal but difficult to cope with.

Menopause can be very distressing but with a little understanding,support from the family and a change in lifestyle every woman can live through it like in any other phase of life.It brings with it a myriad of signs and symptoms,it is good if both men and women know about them and what to do for the same.And the most important of all are the regular health check ups and tests.I am not going to write about it in detail here,if I do so the post might turn into a health column;-)I am making this short,here is a picture for help:

Click the picture for an enlarged view

Good sites to read:

1. Menopause-Causes,Symptoms And Treatment For The Hormonal Transition In A Woman's Life
2. 34 Menopause Symptoms
3. Indian Menopause Society

"The most important role of a woman is not in being a mother,daughter,grandmother,sister,friend or so on.It is in not being a stranger to her own body and mind"-Raksha [copyright of this quote with the author;)]

Remember:

"Nothing on this planet can compare with a woman’s love-it is kind and compassionate,patient and nurturing,generous and sweet and unconditional.Pure.If you are her man,she will walk on water and through a mountain for you,too no matter how you’ve acted out,no matter what crazy thing you’ve done,no matter the time or demand.If you are her man,she will talk to you until there just aren’t any more words left to say,encourage you when you’re at rock bottom and think there just isn’t any way out,hold you in her arms when you’re sick,and laugh with you when you’re up.And if you’re her man and that woman loves you-I mean really loves you?-she will shine you up when you’re dusty,encourage you when you’re down,defend you even when she’s not so sure you were right,and hang on your every word,even when you’re not saying anything worth listening to.And no matter what you do,no matter how many times her friends say you’re no good,no matter how many times you slam the door on the relationship,she will give you her very best and then some,and keep right on trying to win over your heart,even when you act like everything she’s done to convince you she’s The One just isn’t good enough.That’s a woman’s love,it stands the test of time,logic,and all circumstance."-Steve Harvey 

PS:

This post is written as a part of

I was tagged by Dr.Prathibha for this cause,I am tagging these bloggers to participate in the contest:

• Sameera
• Obsessivemom
• Words Do Matter

Good day and a Happy Women's Day in advance to all the ladies of blog town:-)