Did you know that Killer Whales do the Menopause too?
I was walking round the fields, looking out over a gorgeously sparkly bright blue sea, hoping to see a dolphin doing her thing.
Dolphining!
Then by the weirdest serendipitous chance, the podcast I was listening to, "Magnificent Midlife" by Rachel Lankester mentioned "menopause and killer whales."
I kid you not!
Orcas (aka Killer whales) 2 other types of whale, and women are the only animals to go through Menopause.
We stop reproducing, but continue to lead long and productive lives.
Female killer whales stop giving birth by about 40, but can live into their 90s.
In evolutionary terms, menopause makes little sense.
Why do we have these decades of post reproductive age?
All other mammals continue breeding until they die.
An Orca, imaginatively named 'Granny' or J2, who lived to 105 and was extensively studied.
Her pod lived off the north-west Pacific coast of Canada and the US.
She was a fabulous matriarch, led her pod in times of famine to find new supplies of salmon to eat and when the youngsters were getting a little too exuberant, was seen slapping her tail on the surface of the sea, to announce her displeasure and bring them back into line.
It is likely that she lived for 50 years after her menopause.
Then I went into the rabbit warren of Google.
There goes my chuffing schedule...again!!
In brevity, for the love of God, Marianne... it's suggested that a combination of,
Post menopause females becoming the revered elders of the tribe/pod, with knowledge, experience and memory of how to survive droughts, famines and a new role of looking after the kids, all of which massively boost the family's survival rates.
AND
Competition between the older whale's offspring and her daughter's offspring seems to statistically create a higher death rate for the older whale's calves.
...Led to the evolution of menopause in Orca whales, where they devote their time and energy into looking after her offspring's youngsters.
This really got me to thinking...
What does the word menopause mean to you?
I have friends who get all embarrassed, their knees squish together, and they have that wide-eyed look, begging you, dear God, don't mention 'that word' again!
I've been conditioned to dread it. Have you? My darling Mum called it "the change" and periods "the curse," and there would normally be either a wink or a grimace to accompany it! Something else we women had to grin and bear, lie back and think of England, kind of affair. Thanks Mum! God, I loved her so much. I still do, AND, some of her viewpoints settled deep into my psyche. I am now that annoying sod, who questions everything and is offloading all the outdated crap that doesn't serve me!
What if collectively, we could change the conversation about menopause?
It's factual. All women will stop menstruating at some point in their life.
What if we looked forward to this next chapter of life?
This new roll we step into.
The place where we can choose to focus all of our energy on being a leader.
An elder.
A wise one.
And my favourite... A Badass!
Menopause and Midlife are like sisters.
Sometimes hand in hand, sometimes in different time zones!
They both herald a clearing out of the past.
Pausing and working out who we really are and Who we want to be for the rest of our life?
That to me is exciting.
More than exciting... it's exhilarating.
May I invite you to take a sheet of paper and write down in humungous cap letters
Hello! Here I am. What's next for ME?
What would make me smile, love Monday mornings, and feel excited about the rest of my life?
And journal, and draw and scribble, and allow that surge of all the possibles flood into your life.
Smile, give yourself a hug.
See what you are capable of?
Just sayin'.
Love.Marianne
P. S No dolphins to see today, but a joyous, new connection with Orcas.
