Menopause is
like Michigan weather, it’s hot, cold, rainy, snowy, all in a matter of
minutes. It’s hormone changes. What works best for me at home is to keep the
house cool. My living room and dining room blend together and there is a lot of
open space. My son likes to fill this space with friends playing video games.
In the midst
of the pandemic, visits from friends are limited, and hand sanitation required
at the front door, but I digress. Anyway, I arrived home late from work one
evening and my son had a buddy over playing video games. I noticed right away
the each of them sat in a different area of the room, wrapped in a fleece
blanket.
A laugh
bubbled in my throat, but I was able to contain it. “Are you guys cold? You
could have turned the heat up a little.”
“I know how
you complain about the heat, Ms. Menopause, so I didn’t touch it,” said my son.
“I know
you’re used to it, but you could have turned it up for Karl.” I turned the
thermostat up a few notches.
I’ve come to
the realization that there are two zones in my home – Menopause and Millennials.
I set the heat to 69 degrees, and the millennials walk around in winter coats,
or in this instance, blankets.
As soon as I
hung up my coat and sat down in my bedroom, I regretted that decision. My body
began to heat up from the inside, out and
broke out in a sweat. I took deep breaths and relaxed, the feeling would
pass soon. In the meantime, I texted Karl’s mom and explained what was going
on. I also told her, “I guess I’m freezing your son over here.”
Her response
was, “he should be used to it. I keep my heat low too.”
I fled my
bedroom, quickly navigated the stairs, and dropped the thermostat three
degrees. I glanced in the direction of my son and Karl and said, “Sorry guys, I’m
melting. I can bring you another blanket. Oh...Karl, your mama said you’ll be
okay.”
If you or
someone you know is fighting menopause, tell them to keep fighting; laugh in its
face, but get help if needed.
