Dear Rose # 55 - Crepey Necks and Giant HRT Patches: Finding Aliveness Despite Being “Middle-Aged”

Rose is an amalgam of us - women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond who are looking for somewhere they are seen, heard and listened to.

Dear Rose,

It seems that in the past week, my neck has officially become crepey. Not in a way that everyone can see, but of course it’s the only thing I notice when I look in the mirror.

The new neck aesthetic coincides with me skipping my regular eight-weekly root touch-up at the hairdresser because I had to work—so I thought I’d see what I thought of my grey hair after sixteen weeks without colour. I’m actually a bit scared now that I’ve written that down.

On top of it all, my regular HRT patches are out of stock, so the pharmacist gave me some that are four times the size of my normal ones, and somehow that makes me seem more aged.

It’s in these moments I feel so grateful that I’m a yoga practitioner, because while we move through the poses we are encouraged to notice how we feel rather than how we look.

And despite the obvious (to me) signs of ageing, I feel amazing! Strong, energised, balanced, and truly accepting of myself.

Love, Em xx