Menopause needs to be a natural discussion we have with our friends, partners and, especially, our daughters. A healthy acceptance plus a record of how and when and what one's mother went though during menopause should be a part of family health records, not an unspoken secret.

Moving now into winter, I leave behind a version of myself that no longer exists. In its place is a woman who is more capable, more resilient, more evolved. Like the bare tree that awaits the tender, green shoots of spring, I stand ready for what comes next.