When the Raptors won the NBA championship it dawned on me that they did more than that – they rebranded middle-age for women.<\/p>\n
Like a championship game, menopause at times can feel impossible to beat.\u00a0 The hot flashes along with depression can appear as heavy and overbearing as a power forward<\/strong>. Their journey as a team has been empowering, intoxicating and exciting, just like our life experiences, having to find the where with all when things didn\u2019t work out and possessing the focus and tenacity to keep moving forward. That same DNA runs through our veins. The humility the team demonstrated is all too familiar with women of our age. We have \u2018game\u2019 too; only it\u2019s played on the court of life.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve not been addressed as a dinosaur, but friends of mine have. And as threatening as dinosaurs are known to be, so are we especially if we’re going through a full out hormonal episode. I’m aware that the word sounds incongruent and even condescending, but it doesn\u2019t have to. That\u2019s an old perception. Like the team, the Raptor has a legacy and possesses power as do we.\u00a0 \u00a0As middle-aged dinosaurs, we are faced with all kinds of opponents and challenges. With our accumulated life experiences, our game has become even more committed and focused on the prize and isn\u2019t that what these athletes displayed? A beautiful metaphor for the strength that we all share.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Raptor’s had several lousy calls made by refs, but Karma was watching. She watched Kyle be a gentleman, keeping his composure and displaying class as he fell into the crowd while Mark Stevens, part-owner of the Warriors, was not. Aggressively and unnecessarily pushing him. As middle-aged women, we\u2019ve experienced those foul calls in our lives all too often and had to keep our composure. Life isn\u2019t fair, but when Karma is in the room, things can have a surprising twist to them.\u00a0 She works with the Universe to throw us a pass out of nowhere and suddenly we\u2019re sinking a basket. For the Raptor\u2019s it meant winning the championship. For us, in the game of life, it means lining ourselves up for promotions and advancements that didn\u2019t come easy.<\/p>\n Like the Raptor’s, we all possess the nurse archetype, can hold court and certainly know our way around balls, having a pair ourselves. And who reading this does not have a basket of some type in their home? The number of similarities is ridiculous. Truth is the language of basketball is entirely in line with middle-aged women:<\/p>\n Dribbling<\/strong> is when we consume too much Chardonnay; Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry, Nick Nurse and the rest of the gang can easily be compared to our demographic and should be flattered to be included. They played the game of basketball the way we play life, with Grace and grit void of ego. Like us, they got their butts kicked over the years, and humility comes with a rough ride. It speaks to still waters running deep and takes someone honest to recognize the pain they\u2019ve walked through while welcoming the wisdom they\u2019ve acquired. As for the player’s mothers, they are on the same side court as us. They are raising young men who played like one person invested in the result for the team, not the accolades. Recognizing that strength in numbers augments their power.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t attend the celebrations because being in the sun while experiencing a hot flash would have been like being deep in the crevices of hell. Further, I was aware that I\u2019d need access to a bathroom at some point. My bladder and brain spoke and resolved that it was best that I watch it from the comfort of our home. I looked on at the crowds ecstatic with love for the team, numbers reportedly being three times the size of Trump\u2019s inauguration \u2014 finding euphoria in unity with no room for division.<\/p>\n The diversity of the team and the audience was poetic, their differences the common denominator, in making them all the same. Something Canada does well but so too does our community of women. They generously share insights, recipes, experiences, anything that will serve the greater and higher good of the sisterhood. That sentimentality enveloped the day of celebration. Even the traffic on one of Toronto’s busiest highways, The Gardiner Expressway, pulled over with a zenith of appreciation for the show of dinosaurs. The parade that runs through our lives might be different, but it\u2019s every bit filled with as much love.<\/p>\n The Raptors are a cosmopolitan and committed team like our demographic. Focusing on family illustrating their priorities are on point, and their dedication and passion no different from ours \u2014 a team built with people from all over the world, championing causes infused with compassion and humanity. Their off-court charitable contributions speak to the real success that they have each built reflecting well the altruistic contributions we have made in our own lives.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The friendship and bromance between Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry brought a country together, and that sense of unity and type of love is what we share every day with our girlfriends. To see it in sports is a reminder of how powerful and receptive it is. Becoming the foundation dreams are built on, and championships are won. Our close relationships with our girlfriends have helped us walk through the darkest night of the soul. Events we couldn\u2019t imagine coming out at the other end of, never mind as winners.<\/p>\n The Raptor\u2019s quietly rebranded the toughest, smartest, most fearless lot of women – the champions of middle-age, and like them finally making it cool to be a dinosaur.<\/p>\n ROOARRRRRR!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When the Raptors won the NBA championship it dawned on me that they did more than that – they rebranded middle-age for women. Like a championship game, menopause at times can feel impossible to beat.\u00a0 The hot flashes along with depression can appear as heavy and overbearing as a power forward. Their journey as a […]\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\nDunk<\/strong> is what you do with carbs while holding a hot cup of coffee;
\nF<\/strong>adeaway<\/b> is when our hair roots are treated;
\nFlagrant fouls<\/strong> can happen anytime one speaks their mind with the filter off;
\nFlash<\/strong> is when our body temperature is higher than that of a kiln;
\nHoop<\/strong> is a classic style of earring;
\nJunk Defence<\/strong> is our attachment to stuff that needs to leave already<\/span>;
\nLayup<\/strong> is when we throw our back out;
\nMismatch<\/strong> is a terrible online date;
\nNBA<\/strong> is the National Bladder Association;<\/span>
\nOutlet pass<\/strong> is a unique shopping invitation;
\nRebound<\/strong> is going back to our original decision, but as women isn\u2019t that our prerogative?
\nScorekeepers<\/strong> are ornery mothers-in-law;
\nSquare-up<\/strong> is the task of divvying up assets during a divorce;
\nSubstitution<\/strong> is has become standard protocol when ordering at a restaurant;
\nTeardrop<\/strong> is what we\u2019ve shed too many of;
\nThree-pointer<\/strong> is when we\u2019re in alignment, and more than three things fall into place on the same day;
\nTransition<\/strong> is what menopause is;
\nT<\/strong>ravel<\/strong> is what we say we\u2019ll do more of;
\nTurnover<\/strong> is what we shouldn\u2019t have, but when it\u2019s hot and delicious we go for it;
\nUp-and-under<\/strong> is where the pest control guy says the raccoon is lodged in your attic;
\nV-cut<\/strong> is an unfortunate Brazilian;
\nZipper-cut<\/strong> is the result of zipping up pants that shrunk in the wash; and
\nZone<\/strong> is the state where we meditate and engage in all things that will bring us peace.<\/p>\n