Beverley Golden Archives - Mothering in the Middle

The Mother of All Mothers

by Beverley Golden

Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved ~ Eric Fromm

Mother. The word brings up varied reactions I know, depending on our personal experiences with our own mothers. Like it or not, without our mothers, we wouldn’t be here.

Growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, my mother Lillian was primarily a “stay-at-ome” mother. It’s not that she didn’t have high aspirations for her future. Her dream was to be a dancer. However, times required she go to work directly after graduating high school as a bookkeeper for a dress manufacturer, her professional dancing dreams dashed. […]

Redefining Beauty and Brains (as a Middle-Aged Hippie)

by Beverley Golden

When I was much younger people saw me as being so beautiful or so smart. Some who knew me very well, actually saw both. I strove at all costs to have my intellect be recognized as my principle asset and, heaven forbid, someone would relate to me as “just another pretty face.”

To some degree that worked. I left high school early and went to play with a large group of boys at university, who were all eager to make their mark in the big bad world of business. On graduation, I was awarded the gold medal as the outstanding graduate from a class of 400 business students. Not bad considering only ten of us were women. […]

The Inextinguishable Power of Women

by Beverley Golden

Maximina and her Mom

It is truly extraordinary to experience a monumental anniversary celebration in life. Just over ten years ago, I naively flew off across the ocean to an alternative clinic in Germany looking for answers, hope and healing, for my undiagnosable medical condition. Weighing in at 89 pounds on a 5 foot 6 inch frame, I was a walking skeleton and apparently looked like the only thing I was about to cross, was death’s door. My daughter had even given me permission to die. That truly shocked me. […]

The Spiritual and Emotional Benefits of Walking

by Beverley Golden

Being an Aquarian with five other planets in air, I am challenged by the persistent desire to fly wherever I want to go. Of course not in the literal flying sense, but in the metaphorical craving to get where I’m going as fast as I can. It is a daily challenge for me to stay in my body and be on the ground. I believe this is partly why I’ve had so many physical health issues from a young age, a reminder that I need to pay attention to and be in my body. […]

Acupuncture: When East Meets West

by Beverley Golden

[Editor’s Note: This will be the first in a series of articles addressing the efficacy of acupuncture for ailments ranging from general health to infertility to peri- and menopause]

Sitting across a small desk like table, I extend my arms toward her. She places her index, middle and ring fingers on each of my wrists. Like a skilled piano player, she moves her fingers, first lightly, then with a bit more force and finally with an even deeper touch, shifting these alternating pressures from one wrist to the other on three specific points on my radial artery, nine pulses in total. […]

Aging Gracefully In A Culture That Idolizes Youth

by Beverley Golden

My mother Lillian Golden is turning 96 this year. She is vivacious and vital; has an impeccable memory, is beautiful, gracious and an inspiration to everyone who meets her. An inspiration of what aging gracefully can look like, in a culture that is obsessed with and idolizes youth.

She still lives in her own condo and is an active and integral part of the social scene in her building. She is strong, tenacious and stubborn and has never been in the hospital overnight, other than to have her children. She was well into her thirties when she had my brother Niel and I, which in those days, was considered old. […]

Heart Facts: How Well Do You Know Yours?

by Beverley Golden

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, everywhere we look we see the signs. Roses, doves and lovebirds. Of all the symbols we associate with Valentine’s Day, the heart is the one that most defines it. Juicy, plump and bulging red hearts adorn all things related to this holiday, devoted to love. Perfect heart images appear, almost magically, everywhere on everything, moments after the Christmas season has ended. […]