I know it sounds weird but lipstick was my favorite Halloween costume.  I didn't care what I dressed up as so long as lipstick was involved.  See, I grew up during the 50's when the standard, at least what I saw on my friends' mothers and women in the movies was really, really, really RED lipstick.  And in those days, little girls didn't get to wear make-up under any circumstances, except of course -- on Halloween.Here are some of the costumes I had in my young hey-day:

Hot flash!  News flash!  September is American Menopause Month!  Depending on your perspective this may or may not be something to celebrate.  But the fact that there's a month in the year dedicated to the change of life acknowledges the many women struggling through a transition that hits us all differently.  

This week I had the great opportunity to talk with author Mary Ellen Geist.  Several years ago Mary Ellen was described by the New York Times as the:

I've been thinking about writing on this topic for a while.  I'm over 50 and single and have a lot of friends in the same boat.  And what I've found is that dating over 50 is just insane!  What I thought I knew --and mastered fairly well in my younger years -- doesn't seem to translate into the dating scene of today.  So what do you do when you're single and want to meet someone interesting and emotionally available?  Or is that really an option for women in midlife?     

I don't know about you but I'm on a mission to reclaim my waistline.  Somewhere in the middle of midlife it's all but disappeared -- the booby prize, I suppose, for making it through menopause without losing my mind.  As if the hot flashes weren't bad enough. Along the way to whittle down and lose a stubborn 10 pounds gained during the big "M", I've checked out exercise books, fitness programs, joined the "Y" and more.  But I've had a lot of fits and starts in my exercise strategy.  

Throughout my life, I've had some great role models.  I attribute my getting through some of life's toughest times to those people I looked up to.  One of them was my grandmother.  Gram was in midlife when I was born -- just a few years younger than I am now.  So I got to know her when she was showing up in the world as the person she really wanted to be.

On Wednesday I attended the fifth annual Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit which is a $10,000 business plan competition for businesses aimed at the needs and concerns of baby boomers. The competition was founded and co-produced by Mary Furlong, Ed.D. who is a serial entrepreneur who has raised over $120 million focusing on the boomer/senior marketplace.

Have any of you ever had a best friend -- that person who knows you better than anyone else and who loves you unconditionally, flaws and all?  The person who shares the ups and downs with you and never complains when you don't always get the lesson that life is offering?  The person who is always in your corner and always in your prayers?