RI – 50

I never thought I would be one of those women who completely fell apart at the thought of turning 50 – but I have – in fact I have excelled in it. It is not that I feel I need to lose 20 kilos, or I look old – it is more about how did I get to 50 and why do I feel so emotional, crying at the drop of a hat e.g. the latest Qantas ad, the movie Wonder nearly did me in!

On paper, my life sits in the enviable category – 2 amazing kids, a gorgeous, loving partner, good health, a fantastic job, respected by my peers, my own fashion label, a comfortable happy house, good friends, healthy parents, living in a safe and progressive state BUT, still feeling like crap! It is those bloody hormones!!! Or horrormones I call them!

I heard about this a few years ago and thought – that won’t happen to me. A doctor told me to tell Mark, my boyfriend, if he sees fire in my eyes to run for his life! This was after I made him sleep on the trampoline one night as I didn’t want to talk to him! It is a horrible time, full of anxiety, feeling flat, anger, overwhelming sentiments, sadness, regret, shame, social discomfort and a general un ease.

So, what can we do about this without resorting to anti-depressants or HRT? This is the $1M question and I am making it my quest to find out in my 50^th year. How can an intelligent, generally positive, progressive thinking, hardworking, tough, mother, never to be beaten chick, crack the horrormone monster and reclaim her happy life?

I am going to try everything on offer – from Happy Hormones (a powder that, my darling Mark says is fun the whole family can enjoy and constantly asks if I need to up my dose!!) to having a sleep apnoea test to prevent stopping breathing constantly during the night, to giving up coffee (my sister Kiki swears by it), pilates twice a week, deep breathing and whatever else I can discover in my 12 month journey back to feeling like me again.

I am going to get happy and continue my path of gratitude for all I have and see if I can beat those bloody horrormones and start enjoying life again!

Here’s to that! If anyone wants to join my quest then I encourage you to please also offer up some info about various natural ways of getting happy through the post 50 years.

I am going to spend the month of March not only embracing and celebrating my 50^th year with my family and friends -but I am going to commit to 2 pilates classes a week, doing the sleep apnoea test (Mark says I am going to be mask girl – well so be it!!), religiously taking my Happy Hormones, immersing myself in designing my next robbieingo collection and planning my new business model (more on that to come!!), starting on a new initiative at work, playing tennis and cards with my kids every week, trying new recipes and skipping every day!

Funnily enough, I already feel better just for writing this!

One other thing I rediscovered when tidying up my office was a brilliant quote by Maya Angelou – for me this sums up my life and was read beautifully by my daughter Sophie at my 50^th birthday party – I was blown away by her poise, confidence and courage – at the age of 12, it was very humbling.

I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life goes on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things – a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life”. I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

                  Maya Angelou

PS – I have also learnt you will never have enough money – to live within your means, honour your debts, be honest, work hard, and respect money always, as if you don’t it will trip you up every time. Don’t be defined by money or what you don’t have, be happy everyday with all you have that is not of financial value – children, friends, love, nature, laughter…….

                                                                       robbieingo