Gorgeous Forties

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Here is a poem by Maya Angelou called Phenomenal Woman, which is worth reminding ourselves about occasionally and is today's shared thought and inspiration:

PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Who Stole My Forties?

Recently I applied for a new passport.   Since I have travelled almost from birth, I am calculating that I must have missed a year at some point because I seem to have applied for passports at 41 and 51 years old, so must have done 21, and 31 too but don't remember those as well!   Although I can remember the studio portraits we had taken when I was 11.   And I seem to remember I was very grumpy in my 31 year-old photo because there was a strike at the passport office and I was in a hurry to visit a boyfriend in Mallorca!

The problem always arises with the photo, doesnt it?  There are very stringent rules about the photo - not too near, not too far, not too big, not too small, no glare from your glasses, no smile at least not with teeth, no one else in the photo with you (!), no hats - and on it goes.   Immediately the rebel in me emerges, but anyway I suppress it and endure the three minutes in the booth and come out with something which will serve for ID purposes only, which is a shame, as my photo when I was 41 was, well - no other word for it - gorgeous!

A Woman Should Have...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a youth she's content to leave behind...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age.

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a feeling of control over her destiny ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ... how to fall in love without losing herself ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ... how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ... when to try harder ... and when to walk away ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ... that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ... that her childhood may not have been perfect ... but its over ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ... what she would and wouldn't do for love or more ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ... how to live alone ... even if she doesn't like it ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ... whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ... where to go ... be it to her best friend's kitchen table ... or a charming inn in the woods ... when her soul needs soothing ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ... what she can and can't accomplish in a day ... a month ... and a year ...

Addictions

Intermittently I take painkillers for something I've got wrong with me - knee pain, heel pain, toothache.  And immediately I feel better, so I stop taking them and the pain comes back.   Or doesn't.   Depending.   This morning it occurred to me what a miracle this was, and that one need never feel pain again.

Now, depending on how you look at it, that's not a good thing.   As it says on the packaging when you take it, if pain persists consult your doctor.   So pain is telling us something about our bodies and nagging pain is a reminder to do something about it.

And sitting there and enjoying a pain-free moment (toothache) it occurred to me, apart from the fact that I need to book in to see the dentist, how easy it would be to become hooked on painkillers.

You often read in the papers about people who are addicted to food/booze/shopping/drugs/alcohol etc. and I have been vaguely aware of people addicted to various over the counter drugs without really thinking about it.   And then I did.   And then I saw how seductive it would be to be "pain free" and how that could be emotional pain as well as physical pain.   And then you could find yourself in a fog. Permanently.   And it would start of being great, and then suddenly it wouldn't be quite so great.   Hmm.

Of course, the reverse is often true too.   I know people who won't take a painkiller for fear of becoming addicted!   And generally that's not a risk, I'm sure.

But what I noticed this morning was the the tablet I took in the middle of the night for my tooth miraculously made my knees and foot better too.   It's a miracle, I'm healed!   I know some of this seems obvious now that I think about it, but some things you have to learn by thinking them through and discovering them for yourself.   And this is one such thing.

It's useful to have thoughts which make you realise how other people may feel, and how they might get themselves into circumstances which previously I couldn't have got my head around.   It allows compassion and perhaps understanding and connects us to our fellow man in a way which may become useful in the fullness of time.

Making Time for What's Really Important

I received one of those poems in my e-mail today, you know the sort you are obliged to send on to at least ten other people within three hours of reading it?   And then it occurred to me that a blog is a great way of sharing the sentiments of the poem with a lot more than ten people. Here it is.   I hope you enjoy it.

What's Your Real Age?

I took this rather marvellous online quiz at www.RealAge.com and it let me know that rather than 51.5 years old which I actually am, it considers that I am only 48.4, a whole 3.1 years younger!   Whoopee!

To what does it attibute my youthful edge, when in fact I push my luck with my weight?

Well, its all in the...

Getting Yer Bumps Felt

Judith Morgan says:

Well, I said to Wise Jane at our last meeting for our Your Best Year Yet work we do together, "I'm thinking of getting some acupuncture" and she said "you don't want to do that, get some cranial sacral therapy".   So I did.   Some say that if Wise Jane told me to jump off a high building, I would!   And I would give it some serious consideration because she has, after all, had alternative care of my proactive health and wellbeing for - what, Jane?   Fifteen years?   At least.

What Price a Good Friend?

Chatting with Marion earlier, as is my wont, with her chastisting me for not blogging, as is her wont, I was telling her the story of my friends D & J who moved house this week.   As an experienced mover of many, many times all my life, moving house for me is - relatively speaking - a piece of cake, which just happens to be also what I am eating as I write this little story for you.

And knowing me as they do, D & J relied on me for lots of tips and advice throughout the whole process.

Can You Leave The House In Yours?

I bought a pair of Birkenstocks recently, pink natch.   And I've been practising wearing them at home, but today is my first day out of the house in them.   Friends swear by them for comfort and so on, and so I thought it was worth a go (after a few years umming and aahing) but walking in them is quite a challenge. And so today is their first trip outside.

Driving?  Hmm, a bit dodgy, but we got through unscathed, but then it was before 6 a.m!   I dont think I would want to wear them in tense traffic conditions, and I'm inclined to think that bare feet would be better for driving.

I bought a pair of Birkenstocks recently, pink natch.   And I've been practising wearing them at home, but today is my first day out of the house in them.   Friends swear by them for comfort and so on, and so I thought it was worth a go (after a few years umming and aahing) but walking in them is quite a challenge. And so today is their first trip outside.

Driving?  Hmm, a bit dodgy, but we got through unscathed, but then it was before 6 a.m!   I dont think I would want to wear them in tense traffic conditions, and I'm inclined to think that bare feet would be better for driving.

Meet Judith Morgan

I am an accountant turned coach. I am a serial entrepreneur having created and sold several businesses: a firm of accountants, a cleaning company, a travel agency and a stress management consultancy (with Jane). A core theme of my coaching is wealth and abundance.

I am 49, single and I live in Canary Wharf . I trained as a coach with Coachville and Results and have studied NLP with Paul McKenna & Richard Bandler.

Friends describe me as razor sharp and blunt, emotionally intelligent, financially savvy, warm, funny, provocative and insightful.

My strengths are compassion, enthusiasm, energy, inspiration, motivation, God-given good health, a wonderful sense of humour and an unstoppable entrepreneurial spirit. I am positive by nature and always see the best in others. My challenges are making enough time for me to enjoy reading, line-dancing, swimming, singing, and just sitting watching the river go by.

My goals are to coach internationally, to live in the sun, and to be fit, healthy and happy. I live to help others.

www.JudithMorgan.com
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