This weekend is the sixth annual gathering of the Venus group of Menopausal Goddesses. As with every year, we have a "focus" – an agenda that is cast not in concrete but in jello – a loose and bouncy structure subject to Change (kind of like us.)

First and foremost, we plan to celebrate the release of our book "The Big M". It’s been five years of no blood, much sweat and many tears in the making and finally, we have a "bible" for our sister goddesses so they don’t have to struggle as much as we did.

Second, we want to continue exploring our becoming the women we wish to be. With that in mind, this year we’ll attempt to answer two questions:

1. How do we spend our time? (This is, of course, a leading question – addressing our choices, dreams, desires and so forth.)

2. What are our Best Management Practices for this time of life? (We’ll address Menopause, of course, but more important midlife and our Second Act, if you will.)

Question two developed from a focus in the Lake Tahoe basin on Best Management Practices that are mandated to maximize and preserve the health and clarity of the Lake. We are in support of this concept for the Lake, but also for ourselves. Who is more in need of clarity and health than we menopausal goddesses?

With this in mind, we invite you to ponder these questions for yourselves – share with your women friends and comment here to share your insights with our virtual community of midlife Venuses. We’ll report our findings, thoughts, ramblings, wit, and wisdom right here just as soon as we all recover from the gathering.