(in)sanity check

so while i am not even close to managing all the newest symptoms, i am
dreaming of a trip to the canadian rockies. alone. which is not
anything i've done before (always traveled with someone, or on my way
to meet up with someone for most of the vacation time).

knowing that the mood swings can be intense, & that there is already a
certain level of stress with any travel - even happy travel, is this a
sane or insane notion?

looking for the wisdom of those further along on the path. the
rational side of me is saying bad idea. my soul says go to the
mountains. my emotional self is solid this second but might jump off
the cliff the next.

any advice is appreciated.

ellen

ellen wrote:
> so while i am not even close to managing all the newest symptoms, i am
> dreaming of a trip to the canadian rockies. alone. which is not
> anything i've done before (always traveled with someone, or on my way
> to meet up with someone for most of the vacation time).
>
> knowing that the mood swings can be intense, & that there is already a
> certain level of stress with any travel - even happy travel, is this a
> sane or insane notion?
>
> looking for the wisdom of those further along on the path. the
> rational side of me is saying bad idea. my soul says go to the
> mountains. my emotional self is solid this second but might jump off
> the cliff the next.
>
> any advice is appreciated.
>
> ellen
>


I'd say go for it. It will give you a goal to work towards - you just
have to plan a bit more for a solo trip....... but it has the advantage
that you can do exactly what YOU want, you don't have to take any one
else's feelings into account or compromise on choices.



--
Jette Goldie
jette@blueyonder.co.uk
http://www.jette.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
http://wolfette.livejournal.com/
("reply to" is spamblocked - use the email addy in sig)

>
> I'd say go for it. It will give you a goal to work towards - you just
> have to plan a bit more for a solo trip....... but it has the advantage
> that you can do exactly what YOU want, you don't have to take any one
> else's feelings into account or compromise on choices.
>
> --
> Jette Goldie


And I'll add....just bring some xanax, just in case :-)

ellen <epdpster@gmail.com> wrote in news:1183478871.336990.319720
@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups.com:

> looking for the wisdom of those further along on the path. the
> rational side of me is saying bad idea. my soul says go to the
> mountains. my emotional self is solid this second but might jump off
> the cliff the next.
>

I wouldn't go, because when I get to feeling bad, I want to sleep in my
own bed.

You have to evaluate how *you* feel. If it's calling to your soul, it
just might do you a world of good.

Chak

--
It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life
that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal
itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.
--Arnold Toynbee

"ellen" <epdpster@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1183478871.336990.319720@g4g2000hsf.googlegro ups.com...
> so while i am not even close to managing all the newest symptoms, i am
> dreaming of a trip to the canadian rockies. alone. which is not
> anything i've done before (always traveled with someone, or on my way
> to meet up with someone for most of the vacation time).
>
> knowing that the mood swings can be intense, & that there is already a
> certain level of stress with any travel - even happy travel, is this a
> sane or insane notion?
>
> looking for the wisdom of those further along on the path. the
> rational side of me is saying bad idea. my soul says go to the
> mountains. my emotional self is solid this second but might jump off
> the cliff the next.
>
> any advice is appreciated.
>
> ellen

" If you really want to know your mind, the body will always give you the
truthful reflection, so look at the emotion, or rather feel it in your body.
If there is an apparent conflict between them, the thought will be the lie,
the emotion will be the truth".

From " The Power of Now " by Eckert Tolle

GO FOR IT!!! Follow your soul, there's a reason why you're lead to the
mountains. This could be a soul rejuvenating trip with lots of potential for
personal growth.The time to get into yourself is what will prevent you from
jumping off the cliff.Many women in peri seem to want to be alone,to be with
themselves, to contemplate, to take stock and experience the freedom of
having no one placing constraints on them.

The Canadian Rockies are beautiful. I was in Calgary, Lake Louise and Banff
about 15 yrs ago, rent a car and drive the area or just camp out.There's so
much to see and experience nature wise, lots of hiking etc.Weather in the
summer can be on the cool side (68-70) and when we were there in mid August
we actually had some wet snow flurries.

Roseanne

On Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:07:51 -0700, ellen <epdpster@gmail.com> wrote:

>so while i am not even close to managing all the newest symptoms, i am
>dreaming of a trip to the canadian rockies. alone. which is not
>anything i've done before (always traveled with someone, or on my way
>to meet up with someone for most of the vacation time).
>
>knowing that the mood swings can be intense, & that there is already a
>certain level of stress with any travel - even happy travel, is this a
>sane or insane notion?
>
>looking for the wisdom of those further along on the path. the
>rational side of me is saying bad idea. my soul says go to the
>mountains. my emotional self is solid this second but might jump off
>the cliff the next.
>
>any advice is appreciated.

Well, I can't really offer much menopause advice, because I'm new to
this myself. I can, however, offer travel advice. In August of 2000 I
rode my motorcycle from north of Toronto to South Dakota and back. By
myself. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I've
been riding for 30 years, and did *much* planning beforehand, and it
was a trip I had made before with my husband and friends (who couldn't
go that year. But I wanted to, so I did.) It was empowering and I was
on MY OWN schedule and it was a blast. So, from me, I say go for it.
For whatever reason.

D.

On Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:15:22 -0400, Dana Taramina
<dana@spamicide.gryffyn.com> wrote:

>In August of 2000 I
>rode my motorcycle from north of Toronto to South Dakota and back.


You're my hero!! Wow.


Dana
Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

"Dana©" <AneeBear@ownmail.com> wrote in message
news:ft7n83trf2gos33o84sfirph3uaq7ju555@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:15:22 -0400, Dana Taramina
> <dana@spamicide.gryffyn.com> wrote:
>
>>In August of 2000 I
>>rode my motorcycle from north of Toronto to South Dakota and back.
>
>
> You're my hero!! Wow.
>
>
> Dana
> Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
> for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

Ditto. Wow, very empowering, especially for a woman. We are given so many
messages that we * can't * do, can't be alone, need a man,have to have a
someone there since women need to be taken care of. You've given me the
hummph to do what I've been wanting for a while, to backpack solo around
Europe for 1-2 mos, living in hostels and doing my own thing. Even the
daughters think I'm crazy and incapable of looking after myself, where did
they get that idea? Maybe because of my neck & back problems, but so
what.I've always been the one at the helm in my family and they still look
towards me if facing something difficult. Phiffft!!!

Roseanne

"foggydoggy" <foggydoggy@cogeco.ca> wrote in
news:F6Oii.116509$Y_.750@read1.cgocable.net:

> You've given me the
> hummph to do what I've been wanting for a while, to backpack solo
> around Europe for 1-2 mos, living in hostels and doing my own thing.

Oooh, do it. Do it! Do it! Do it!

Chak

--
It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life
that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that
goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.
--Arnold Toynbee

"Chakolate" <chakolateDeathToSpammers@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns99637E5FA29B7chakolatehotmailcom@207.115.1 7.102...
> "foggydoggy" <foggydoggy@cogeco.ca> wrote in
> news:F6Oii.116509$Y_.750@read1.cgocable.net:
>
>> You've given me the
>> hummph to do what I've been wanting for a while, to backpack solo
>> around Europe for 1-2 mos, living in hostels and doing my own thing.
>
> Oooh, do it. Do it! Do it! Do it!
>
> Chak

You betcha I will,I'm pumped! May 08 coming up, maybe a month to start, but
it's a start then God only knows what that'll unleash.

Have you seen Fried Green Tomatoes? Remember the frumpy downtrodden middle-
aged housewife taking charge of her life? I love the scene when she rams the
Volkswagon beetle of the two young women who steal her parking space?
Everytime I see that scene I'm yelling, "Yahoo, you go girl! Smush her up! "

I'm sounding insane but nope I'm very much grounded.

Roseanne

On Jul 4, 4:06 pm, "foggydoggy" <foggydo...@cogeco.ca> wrote:
> "Chakolate" <chakolateDeathToSpamm...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> news:Xns99637E5FA29B7chakolatehotmailcom@207.115.1 7.102...
>
> > "foggydoggy" <foggydo...@cogeco.ca> wrote in
> >news:F6Oii.116509$Y_.750@read1.cgocable.net:
>
> >> You've given me the
> >> hummph to do what I've been wanting for a while, to backpack solo
> >> around Europe for 1-2 mos, living in hostels and doing my own thing.
>
> > Oooh, do it. Do it! Do it! Do it!
>
> > Chak
>
> You betcha I will,I'm pumped! May 08 coming up, maybe a month to start, but
> it's a start then God only knows what that'll unleash.
>
> Have you seen Fried Green Tomatoes? Remember the frumpy downtrodden middle-
> aged housewife taking charge of her life? I love the scene when she rams the
> Volkswagon beetle of the two young women who steal her parking space?
> Everytime I see that scene I'm yelling, "Yahoo, you go girl! Smush her up! "
>
> I'm sounding insane but nope I'm very much grounded.
>
> Roseanne


to everyone:
what outstanding responses - great advice all of it & great to hear
about everyone's experiences (the motorcycle trip sounded amazing).
and plans! i love that this has spanned the spectrum from self-care
to self-discovery to listening to/finding one's truth (great quote) to
wonderful empowerment. & i could have sworn that someone posted about
bringing the xanax (which made me laugh, but if i do this i think it's
really valuable advice).

thanks too for the info on the rockies. i was there a few septembers
ago with my husband (camping - which would be too hard on me right
now). it was one of the most beautiful places that i've ever been.

when we were in alaska last year, we were up at denali national park &
i was having some rough symptoms so i stayed behind while my husband
took the bus ride that takes you further in. i ran into a young woman
who, having recently been dumped by her boyfriend, booked herself a
flight & was getting ready to backpack into denali (& alaska
backpacking is pretty serious in my book). she asked me to join her,
which i don't think i could have done even if i were alone. but i
remember being so incredibly impressed by her confidence & self
assuredness. & i tried to remember where mine had gone.

the paradox of where i am now, is that i feel so much more comfortable
in my own skin, while at the next moment wanting to jump out of it.

thanks for all the inspiration! & that scene in fried green tomatoes
is one of my all time favorites. good luck, roseanne.

ellen

ellen wrote:
> On Jul 4, 4:06 pm, "foggydoggy" <foggydo...@cogeco.ca> wrote:
>> "Chakolate" <chakolateDeathToSpamm...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>
>> news:Xns99637E5FA29B7chakolatehotmailcom@207.115.1 7.102...
>>
>>> "foggydoggy" <foggydo...@cogeco.ca> wrote in
>>> news:F6Oii.116509$Y_.750@read1.cgocable.net:
>>>> You've given me the
>>>> hummph to do what I've been wanting for a while, to backpack solo
>>>> around Europe for 1-2 mos, living in hostels and doing my own thing.
>>> Oooh, do it. Do it! Do it! Do it!
>>> Chak
>> You betcha I will,I'm pumped! May 08 coming up, maybe a month to start, but
>> it's a start then God only knows what that'll unleash.
>>
>> Have you seen Fried Green Tomatoes? Remember the frumpy downtrodden middle-
>> aged housewife taking charge of her life? I love the scene when she rams the
>> Volkswagon beetle of the two young women who steal her parking space?
>> Everytime I see that scene I'm yelling, "Yahoo, you go girl! Smush her up! "
>>
>> I'm sounding insane but nope I'm very much grounded.
>>
>> Roseanne
>
>
> to everyone:
> what outstanding responses - great advice all of it & great to hear
> about everyone's experiences (the motorcycle trip sounded amazing).
> and plans! i love that this has spanned the spectrum from self-care
> to self-discovery to listening to/finding one's truth (great quote) to
> wonderful empowerment. & i could have sworn that someone posted about
> bringing the xanax (which made me laugh, but if i do this i think it's
> really valuable advice).
>
> thanks too for the info on the rockies. i was there a few septembers
> ago with my husband (camping - which would be too hard on me right
> now). it was one of the most beautiful places that i've ever been.
>
> when we were in alaska last year, we were up at denali national park &
> i was having some rough symptoms so i stayed behind while my husband
> took the bus ride that takes you further in. i ran into a young woman
> who, having recently been dumped by her boyfriend, booked herself a
> flight & was getting ready to backpack into denali (& alaska
> backpacking is pretty serious in my book). she asked me to join her,
> which i don't think i could have done even if i were alone. but i
> remember being so incredibly impressed by her confidence & self
> assuredness. & i tried to remember where mine had gone.
>
> the paradox of where i am now, is that i feel so much more comfortable
> in my own skin, while at the next moment wanting to jump out of it.
>
> thanks for all the inspiration! & that scene in fried green tomatoes
> is one of my all time favorites. good luck, roseanne.
>
> ellen

Ellen and Rosanne - wow! Go for it, if it's your dream.

I haven't traveled alone much since I've been married, except for
business trips. It was something I really enjoyed when I was in
my 20s and early 30s, and I think I would still enjoy doing it.

FurPaw

--
Terrorist - what the big army calls the little army.

To reply, unleash the dog.

In article <1183478871.336990.319720@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups. com>,
epdpster@gmail.com says...
> so while i am not even close to managing all the newest symptoms, i am
> dreaming of a trip to the canadian rockies. alone. which is not
> anything i've done before (always traveled with someone, or on my way
> to meet up with someone for most of the vacation time).
>
> knowing that the mood swings can be intense, & that there is already a
> certain level of stress with any travel - even happy travel, is this a
> sane or insane notion?
>
> looking for the wisdom of those further along on the path. the
> rational side of me is saying bad idea. my soul says go to the
> mountains. my emotional self is solid this second but might jump off
> the cliff the next.
>
> any advice is appreciated.
>
> ellen


Ellen,

I love the encouraging responses you received from others.

I admit that I don't know you, and my free advice is worth exactly what
you are paying for it. I want to address your comment, "my emotional self
is solid this second but might jump off the cliff the next." If you meant
that literally, I suggest not standing on any cliffs. On the other hand,
if it was a figure of speech, go for it :-)

Sincerely,
T

On Wed, 04 Jul 2007 17:25:01 GMT, Chakolate
<chakolateDeathToSpammers@gmail.com> wrote:

>> You've given me the
>> hummph to do what I've been wanting for a while, to backpack solo
>> around Europe for 1-2 mos, living in hostels and doing my own thing.
>
>Oooh, do it. Do it! Do it! Do it!


Yeah! And send us photos!!



Dana

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons,
for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.

"foggydoggy" <foggydoggy@cogeco.ca> wrote in
news:S3Tii.101$KV1.87@read2.cgocable.net:

> Have you seen Fried Green Tomatoes? Remember the frumpy downtrodden
> middle- aged housewife taking charge of her life? I love the scene
> when she rams the Volkswagon beetle of the two young women who steal
> her parking space? Everytime I see that scene I'm yelling, "Yahoo, you
> go girl! Smush her up! "
>

That was my favorite scene, too. :-)

If you haven't read the book, you should. It's even better.

Chak

--
It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life
that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal
itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.
--Arnold Toynbee

On Jul 4, 6:30 pm, Thoronwen <thoron...@msn.com> wrote:
> In article <1183478871.336990.319...@g4g2000hsf.googlegroups. com>,
> epdps...@gmail.com says...
>
>
>
> > so while i am not even close to managing all the newest symptoms, i am
> > dreaming of a trip to the canadian rockies. alone. which is not
> > anything i've done before (always traveled with someone, or on my way
> > to meet up with someone for most of the vacation time).
>
> > knowing that the mood swings can be intense, & that there is already a
> > certain level of stress with any travel - even happy travel, is this a
> > sane or insane notion?
>
> > looking for the wisdom of those further along on the path. the
> > rational side of me is saying bad idea. my soul says go to the
> > mountains. my emotional self is solid this second but might jump off
> > the cliff the next.
>
> > any advice is appreciated.
>
> > ellen
>
> Ellen,
>
> I love the encouraging responses you received from others.
>
> I admit that I don't know you, and my free advice is worth exactly what
> you are paying for it. I want to address your comment, "my emotional self
> is solid this second but might jump off the cliff the next." If you meant
> that literally, I suggest not standing on any cliffs. On the other hand,
> if it was a figure of speech, go for it :-)
>
> Sincerely,
> T

me too! pretty fun to hear everyone get excited on behalf of each
other.

i did mean cliff jumping in a flippant sense. though i still wish i
were a little more practiced at these mood swings. & now having
wished for that, i would be just as happy if they don't last for the
next ? years (just trying to put one foot in front of the other).

thanks for the encouragement.

ellen

ellen <epdpster@gmail.com> wrote:
> so while i am not even close to managing all the newest symptoms, i am
> dreaming of a trip to the canadian rockies. alone. which is not
> anything i've done before (always traveled with someone, or on my way
> to meet up with someone for most of the vacation time).

> knowing that the mood swings can be intense, & that there is already a
> certain level of stress with any travel - even happy travel, is this a
> sane or insane notion?

> looking for the wisdom of those further along on the path. the
> rational side of me is saying bad idea. my soul says go to the
> mountains. my emotional self is solid this second but might jump off
> the cliff the next.

> any advice is appreciated.

I'm not sure how you're planning to travel. If this is solo
backpacking in mountains well away from civilisation then I'd suggest
you should agree with someone in advance how and when you are going to
communicate progress, and what they should do if you fail to
communicate, e.g. if you miss a reporting point by more than 48 hours
then rescue services should be alerted and told where you last were,
where you were going, and what you're kitted out with from a survival
point of view. Makes all the difference if you happen to break a leg
miles from anywhere!

--
Chris Malcolm cam@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

On Jul 6, 11:02 am, Chris Malcolm <c...@holyrood.ed.ac.uk> wrote:
> ellen <epdps...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > so while i am not even close to managing all the newest symptoms, i am
> > dreaming of a trip to the canadian rockies. alone. which is not
> > anything i've done before (always traveled with someone, or on my way
> > to meet up with someone for most of the vacation time).
> > knowing that the mood swings can be intense, & that there is already a
> > certain level of stress with any travel - even happy travel, is this a
> > sane or insane notion?
> > looking for the wisdom of those further along on the path. the
> > rational side of me is saying bad idea. my soul says go to the
> > mountains. my emotional self is solid this second but might jump off
> > the cliff the next.
> > any advice is appreciated.
>
> I'm not sure how you're planning to travel. If this is solo
> backpacking in mountains well away from civilisation then I'd suggest
> you should agree with someone in advance how and when you are going to
> communicate progress, and what they should do if you fail to
> communicate, e.g. if you miss a reporting point by more than 48 hours
> then rescue services should be alerted and told where you last were,
> where you were going, and what you're kitted out with from a survival
> point of view. Makes all the difference if you happen to break a leg
> miles from anywhere!
>
> --
> Chris Malcolm c...@infirmatics.ed.ac.uk DoD #205
> IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
> [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]


excellent advice, chris. i am way too chicken right now to do any
solo backpacking. i'm much more experienced in & confident with
dealing with urban dangers than bears, cougars, & crises in the middle
of the wilderness.

ellen