increase the weight

And also, start small.
On difficult things or the stuff that might get you injured if you overdo it.

Turn up the dial on pleasure, on joy, on passion and on purpose.
But do it slowly.
—
In midlife the worst thing happened, as well as the best thing happened.
The lemons brought me to the lemonade.

And that sweetness would never have happened if life’s lemons had not first brought me to my knees.
And not in a good way.

Looking back it’s almost impossible to estimate exactly how much I resent this horrific time, without acknowledging the priceless lessons, transformations and perks it brought me.
All things that were so profoundly spiritual that I feel embarrassed to admit what I praise this period the most for.
The actual lemonade, the sweetness this time brought me, is something very basic;
It got me on hormones.

And medically speaking, you have to start when middle-aged for best effects and to do it the safest.
The way I understood it, had I let the time-window of middle-age pass, my hormone receptors would have started to perish, making hormone therapy far less effective.
But without having been so sick?
I would never have asked for them nor would they have been offered or suggested to me within the Dutch healthcare system.

But that’s not the end of this story, because I have to rebuild my capacity for everything.
Social interaction.
Travel.
Concerts.
Everything that involves a lot of sensatory input.
Through trial and error, hour by hour.

The way I see it now, is that just like with the hormones, we have “receptors” for everything. And not using them, might mean losing them.

So everything that is worth a lot to you? Keep developing it!
Keep pushing the bar.

And everything you have not done in a very long time, even if it’s stuff that’s easy for others; Start small. But start.

Awaken your receptors.

~Suzanne Beenackers
Catacombe
become the Rock Star you were born to be

about this series

Welcome back to What Do Rock Stars Need To Hear Today!
From June 2025 to April 2026, older Canva pictures and setups from 2023 were used.
But we’re back, and ready to rock.