Interview with a 40+ Woman-MT

February 12th, 2016

So far, most of the women I have interviewed are nearing the end of their 40s.I decided to seek out a women who is right at the beginning of this process. MT is forty years old. As I interviewed her I noticed a different feel to our discussion. Initially, she talked about turning 40. The number didn't really phase her. I asked if she felt that anything had changed since she turned 40. She said: "Not really, my life is just as crazy as it has always been". What was interesting to me was the level of awareness that grew as I asked each question. She re-considered her answer later on in the interview. "Actually, I have changed. I take better care of my health, I work out and I eat healthier foods".

MT feels like she is the same person she was before, however, she does feel more confident because she has had more life experience. Asked if she would change anything about her life she said she wishes she could have had her children earlier, she feels that she had them too late in life.

MT is most proud of the woman she has become with all of her life experiences. She is proud of the mother she has become as well. She now understands what it means to be married, to be a parent and have bills to pay. MT doesn't know why women undergo major changes in their forties. She thinks maybe it represents a halfway point and we feel ready for a change, just like men going through their midlife crisis.

Right now, the most important thing for MT is happiness, her own and her family's. She wants her husband and her children to live a happy life. Health is always at the forefront as well. It is more challenging for her to find the time to do things for self-care because her children are still young. However, when she has time, she enjoys meditating, reading Tarot cards, getting out to see a movie or  going out for a walk. She enjoys walking in nature especially in the Fall, she hates the cold so she doesn't get out as much in the winter. When she needs comfort, she turns to her husband, her father and a few good friends.

There were questions that MT needed more time to answer. If I get more information, I will add them to this text at a later date. By the end of the interview she confided that she feels like she is in the midst of a transition. She has been in survival mode ever since she had her children. She anticipates many big decisions coming up in the next two to three years. I forwarded the link to this blog to MT. I hope she can gather some comfort from the words of the other 40+ ladies I have interviewed. They have been through this transition and are feeling much happier and leading more balanced lives. That is what I wish for you MT. Best of luck with these very important decisions.

Anne Walsh
www.artnsoul.org