Challenging the Notion of ‘Just Being Yourself’: Embracing Change and Growth

S R Janssen

Hey there, fabulous senior women! Rember being told to “just be yourself”? Well, let’s challenge that advice because it often misses a crucial point – which version of yourself should you be? We all have different facets of our personality that we show to the world. Speaking from my own experience as a younger woman, the version of myself I used to navigate through life wasn’t necessarily leading me towards the life I truly desired.

Life is full of experiences that shape our thoughts and behaviors, creating patterns that we unconsciously follow, even if they don’t serve us well. We may label these automatic responses as simply “being ourselves.” But what if being our current selves isn’t propelling us towards our dreams? It might be time to embrace a new version of ourselves.

As we enter our golden years, many of us find that the shine of life has dimmed because we’ve stuck to the same old patterns. Our thoughts, behaviors, and even our health may have become rigid, trapping us in a shrinking box. But it’s never too late to break free and explore new possibilities. Let’s unlock our potential and embrace the vibrant, empowered selves we are meant to be!

JANUARY 18 – DRAWING A BLANK OPENS A DOOR TO W. H AUDEN

S R Janssen

Now I know what a good thing it is to draw a blank when it comes to writing a new post. Today my small world doesn’t need my thoughts. Even better, I don’t need my own thoughts. Lacking things to say shuts my mouth and opens doors to the thoughts and writings of others. I have sheepskin granting me a Bachelor of Arts English Literature, yet W. H. Auden never showed up on a class curriculum. The other day a friend introduced me to a poem. Probably everybody but me is familiar with it as it was featured in a movie: “Four Weddings and a Funeral” Familiar as it may be, it is always worth another read.

‘Funeral Blues aka Stop All the Clocks’

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, 
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, 
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum 
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. 

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead 
Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead, 
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves, 
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. 

He was my North, my South, my East and West, 
My working week and my Sunday rest, 
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song. 
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong. 

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one; 
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun. 
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood. 
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
W. H. Auden