ENGLAND 2022 EURO WINNERS AND THE MID-LIFE WOMAN
Because, like it or not, if affects us too…..
Hello, lovely readers
I hope you are well and enjoying what’s turning out to be a good, if not insanely hot at times, summer. Not wishing to underplay how much these extreme temperatures are symptoms of a fractured and injured planet, in the short term, the better weather does feed your soul. Here’s hoping the collective effort we make as a planet goes some way to healing the Earth, as time goes on.
I’m writing this in the afterglow of the historic win by England’s women’s Euro 2022 squad last weekend. In the days following, it’s become very clear that not only has this amazing bunch of young women done something that hasn’t ever been done before, their win has started a revolution in how women in general, not just football, are viewed.
And, more importantly, how their win affects women of our generation.
I’ve seen quite a posts by women of a similar age to me, on various social media platforms in the last week, that intimated a degree of envy. By that I don’t mean anything malicious, but by reflecting back on the times when they were in their early 20’s when there were nowhere near as many opportunities as there are for this generation today.
I’m talking mid 80’s through to the 90’s, when Britain was again ruled by an excessively right-wing Conservative government, but without the voicing from the masses about how things should change. It just shows in the recent resignation of Boris Johnson, although he held on with his finger nails, how powerful the voice of the people is right now.
But, in the 1980’s, had we 20-somethings tried to call for social change - whatever that might have entailed - it wouldn’t have been listened to, and possibly would have had some authoritarian quashing of those calls.
Similarly, despite being recession-bound over the coming year, the country’s economy is still very buoyant (yes, it is - trust me on that!) and until such times that we have officially entered recession, there is plenty of money being thrown at grass-roots programmes to develop skills. And I don’t just mean sports-related projects. These social initiatives are aimed at all manner of things.
And so should it be. I just wish it had been there when I was a 20-something. And I expect, so do a lot of women my age….
JUST TO LET YOU KNOW….
As the 45NotOut reach builds, there are a number of other online platforms where you can continue to join in and shout loudly. One of these burgeoning platforms is both the 45 Not Out closed Facebook group.
The community of this groups is growing nicely with more and more amazing mid-life and older women joining the community, but there can never be enough. There is an open welcome to you to join the throng, and if you want to be part of the Facebook Group you can ask to join by following this link here
So, that’ll be a wrap from me. I hope you found something in my mindless ramblings resonated with you.
I’ll leave you to enjoy the good weather to strengthen yourself for what might be a difficult winter. But let’s worry about that when it actually arrives.
In the meantime, stay safe, well & strong
Till a fortnight’s time
Una x