About the Blogger

Isn't that photo of me a beauty? I thought long and hard about what photo to include, and decided on this less than glamorous option because I want to prove to my readers that this is going to be a real experience. No filters, no sugarcoating, and no BS.

 

Like for most, 2020 was one hell of a year for me which among the crisis and drama included a cancer scare.  The top photo was taken on my 54th birthday, four weeks after I had surgery; a complete hysterectomy and a biopsy of my uterus and ovaries. Thank goodness all tests were clean and now with my lady parts gone, I don't have to worry about those cancers in the future.

 

With COVID there wasn't much my husband and I could do to celebrate both the good health news and my birthday, but I was determined to celebrate. So we loaded up our camper van, wrangled the dogs, and headed to Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island, BC's best beach! 

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This photo is all reality. Oftentimes our happiest moments aren't our most glamorous (think childbirth and ugly happy cries here) so then we are hesitant to share the photos from these times because"we look like hell."

 

Well, I know I don't look great in this photo. My hair is flat and damp from the rain; I am wearing ten-year-old leggings (not Lululemons!)and a goofy t-shirt, and I am standing in a weird pose. And I did nothing to filter my wrinkles or blotchy complexion.  But I can tell you that in this most unglamorous of moments, I was happier than I had been in months.   

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The cancer scare was real, I was terrified. My paternal aunt passed away from ovarian cancer when she was 61, she was diagnosed at 54! I was so relieved that I was okay that I wanted to dance in public (and I can't dance!) I was also in one of my most favourite places in the world, breathing in the sea salt air, while frolicking with my dogs and husband, who had been an absolute rock for me through the previous months. 

 

Life can be ugly, scary, challenging, and frustrating. As I write this it is still, for various reasons, all of those things for me right now.  But as I see it we only have two choices in life: curl up in a ball, give up and sink when things are tough, or stretch out and ride the waves as best we can. My life has had too many tsunamis lately, but I still choose to find the joy in riding the waves.

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The purpose of Midlife Madness is to share real life stories with my readers, but I hope to lean in the direction of positive and hopeful, despite the fact that I am acknowledging how hard life can be. Notably, my positivity shines through in the blog name, Midlife Madness. I am 54! and I am only just now admitting to being in midlife. So 108 it is folks! That's the goal - 54 more years of riding the mad waves of life. 

 

I hope in my Midlife Madness blog you find someone you can relate to and  a safe harbour even in rough weather. 

 

Racquel