PAW MarchIssue - Flipbook - Page 52
Y
ou might be surprised to learn that the prime of
your life is not what our society has led you to
believe. If you're like millions of women, who
have been taught that your physical and sexual prime is
between your 20s and 30s, or of childbearing age, and that
your psychological and spiritual health follows later, or that
your productivity and professional career decline with age,
I ask you to respectfully ignore that common knowledge.
Why? Because facts and recent studies about midlife prove
that the stage celebrates diverse successes and milestones
that, historically, our culture has overlooked.
First, let's examine the definition because it is objective and subjective. "In her prime” can mean "at her best,"
"of the highest quality," or "during one's happiest, most
successful time, in the period when one has the most energy, vitality, and potential.” Alternatively, it has been described as "in full bloom," "ripe," "settled," or gosh forbid,
"of age." Definitions aside, what happens if we remember
completing our first marathon at 40 or birthing our first
child at 42? Wouldn't those be considered “prime" events
“in the prime” of our lives?
Each stage of our precious, beautiful lives has one unifying aspect; the possibility of improvement and growth,
whether in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, or beyond. The journey
to midlife is different and unique for each of us because our
perspectives and “primes" change as we age. Perhaps you
believe you reached your physical prime at 32, yet you
know today you're in your sexual prime at 52. Maybe you
thought your professional career peaked at 45, but your
earning is still strong as a consultant at 58. The definition
52 THE PRO-AGE WOMAN March Issue
