Purple, Menopause, and You

After menopause, many women begin to favor the color purple. For some, it might be a rebellion against the conformity in dress they had to adhere to during their younger years, for others it represents a move to a more spiritual time in their lives

Purple is associated with spirituality, enlightenment, and transcendence of ordinary reality. As young adults, we all — men and women alike — tend to avoid purple, suggesting a lack of spiritual dimension in our lives. As we get older, our minds turn to thoughts of life and death. What is it all about? What is coming? Did our lives have meaning? And with this new spirituality often comes a fondness for the color purple.

Besides this spiritual aspect, people who like purple are intuitive, imaginative, and highly creative. They have a greater sense of the intangible than most people; they don’t have to see it to believe it. Purple people are easy to live with and hard to know; sometimes their friends don’t even understand them. These characteristics often show up in older people, especially women after menopause. Their families are grown, and they have time to indulge their inner lives. They begin writing that novel they always wanted to write, take up painting or other artistic ventures, read books that help them find the answers to life.

It is this striving for meaning and purpose that gives us an affinity for purple.

There are two faces of purple. When it as on the reddish side, it embraces sensuality; when it is on the bluish side, it embraces spirituality. Trying to balance those opposites is one of the reasons purple people are so enigmatic. Just when someone thinks they have the exciting red side of them figured out, the tranquil blue side colors their lives. It has been said that because of this balance, purple is the ideal color. If so, then purple people are at the pinnacle of life: sensual and spiritual, exciting and tranquil, warm and cool.

So, if after menopause you find yourself gravitating toward purple, embrace it. You earned it.

Hooray For the Red, White, and . . . Purple?

Memorial Day weekend is more than barbecues, hot dogs, and drinking too much cold beer. I know. Came as a shock to me, too. But it’s a time of reflection, of remembering, of thinking about what comes next for us as a country. (Perhaps this article would be more suited to the fourth of July, but by then it could be too late. And anyway, I already wrote it.)

So what does come next? The red, white, and . . . purple.

The colors of our flag came directly from the British. This new country wanted to be separate from the old one, but not too separate. How else to explain our reverence for all things British, especially their nobility? Sir Elton John. Sir Paul McCartney. Right, that nobility.

I have no objection to keeping the red. Red is for passion, and nowhere are we more passionate than in our opinions. Not a bad thing, really. We all have the right to be passionate, no matter how wrong we are.

Nor do I have any objection to the white. White is the color of innocence, of naiveté. I can already see you shaking your head, but it’s the truth. We have the naïve belief that our president is the leader of the free world. Does anyone else but us think that way? Of course not. Ask the French how they feel. Still, that naiveté is part of our charm.

What I do object to is the blue. Blue is the most popular color in our country. Comfortable, calming, soothing, blue gives us a sense of well being and complacency. We talk of change, but what we want is the status quo with a lot more status and a bit less quo.

So what’s the answer? Purple. Purple is a color favored by older women because they have found a higher purpose in their our lives. It is the color of understanding, of quick perception, of keen observation, of wisdom and high ideals. Our country would be a lot better off if it were governed by purple power. By wise old women. (No, I am not endorsing Clinton for president. I said wise old women. What part of wise don’t you understand?)

The only drawback to this plan, is that wise old women are too wise to get involved in politics. But still . . .

Hooray for the red, white, and purple.

Does Anyone Know if Helium is Better Than Squidoo?

I’m still trying to find a good place to publish articles and perhaps make a little money from them, but I haven’t learned much. I looked into HubPages, but I didn’t like the idea of having to sign up for google adsense and all those other payment sites, so for now I’m going to try Squidoo, which pays through Pay Pal.

I looked into Associated Content, but the site is too slow, and I’ve heard that most of the writers don’t get paid for their work.

I notice that Helium also pays through Pay Pal, but I don’t really know much about them. Does anyone know how they compare to Squidoo? Is it possible to make money at Helium? I’d appreciate any input.

Do You Do Squidoo? What Do You Think About It?

Have you ever used Squidoo? I am still new to the internet and am exploring different things to do on the information highway. And perhaps make a little money along the way.

If you have used Squidoo, do you have any suggestions about what to do or what not to do? Is it hard to break in? Do the people who have been around for a while make all the money? Have you used similar websites? Is it possible for the average person to make money on the internet? Is it better to sign up on several sites? If so, which ones?

Melatonin, Menopause, and Insomnia

Recent research indicates that melatonin supplementation is safe, but that except in rare cases such as the blind or nightshift workers, it is not an effective sleep aid. Controlled trials showed no difference between melatonin and placebos. (Isn’t it interesting how placebos work at least in a small way for so many different ailments? Maybe scientists should stop perfecting drugs and start perfecting the placebo. It would be safer, cheaper, and perhaps more effective than many of today’s drugs.)

I found the study interesting because I take melatonin, and it does help me. I suffered from insomnia for many years. I’d toss and turn, sit up and rearrange the pillow, and then toss and turn again. I don’t know if it was the nightly exercise or the lack of sleep that exhausted me, but either way, I was tired all the time. Then I heard about melatonin and decided to try it. To be honest, I took it as an immune system enhancer because I seemed to get more than my share of colds. Interestingly enough, it didn’t help noticeably with my immune system, but I started sleeping better.

Melatonin does not work like a sleeping pill. Basically, it sets the biological clock and lets the body know when it’s time to sleep, which is why it’s good for jet lag. I take it an hour before bed, and it helps me fall sleep, but it does not promote deep sleep. Although I still wake up often, I can lie comfortably and eventually fall back asleep. I would not recommend melatonin in place of a sleeping pill for those who need it, but it does work for me, at least most of the time.

Melatonin is a hormone, and like all hormones, it diminishes with menopause. The decrease in melatonin in turn increases the effects of aging. The body repairs itself during sleep, and if there is not enough sleep, the body can’t repair itself, and so the body ages. And the more the body ages, the more melatonin and all other hormones diminish. The cycle of life.

So, even if melatonin works for me because of the placebo effect, I’ll continue taking it. I need whatever sleep I can get.