Pack Your Bags, We're Going to Menopause Island

I'll bring the portable fans + 90s music

Mar 29, 2025

“Menopause is not an easy time. We are faced with a number of challenges. Among other things we must adjust to a new sense of who we are. My identity is changing, and I don’t know who I am becoming. Sometimes when I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror by chance, I do not recognize the face of that middle-aged woman as my own. To who is all this happening? A part of me is dying and someone else is being born.” -Connie Batten

I’m sitting here listening to Enya (goddess) and sipping chocolate mint Rooibos tea from our local tea shop.

Oh, and I’ve just realized how perfect this song is.

And no, I didn’t plan it.

“Sail away, sail away, sail away.”

(#sorrynotsorry if “Orinoco Flow” is now in your head)

“Where are we sailing to, Vanessa?”

To Menopause Island.

“Where’s that?” you might be asking.

Good question.

Right now, it’s just in my head.

Would you like a brief tour?

Let’s go.

A poem + a dream

On Tuesday night, I wrote a poem.

Menopause Island.

I shared it on Instagram, too.

I know peri/menopause is having a moment, and I’m so glad.

I’m not a celebrity or a big-time author, doctor, or health guru.

I’ve been writing and talking about it for years in my little tiny corner of the world.

Just a now-50-year-old writer, mama, and champion for us regular people who have questions, need answers, and are both becoming and unbecoming.

I guess I just want you to know, friend, you’re not alone.

You’re not going insane (I remember feeling this way two years ago).

You deserve care, creativity, energy, and joy.

You 100% should get what you need.

Are you coming to Menopause Island?

I dream of hosting a menopause retreat somewhere super cool—like actually cool, I can’t tolerate heat anymore.

We can wear what we want, do what we want, celebrate one another, take walks, take naps, take tea time, and take this momentous occasion for what it is: a sacred journey.

Let me know in the comments what else we should have on the island. We could all use some laughs!

Me in my car sporting my favorite butterfly Pair Eyeware toppers and Quirky Daisy Headband.

I’ll be back next week with my April Flourish & Flow newsletter. I’m also sharing haiku poems over on my Substack Notes. I’ve been writing these over the last two years and finally sharing them.

Vanessa 🦋

P.S. I’m putting the final touches on two supportive and creative offerings designed to bring creativity and joy to your peri/menopause journey. And fun. Because can we just have some fun, too?