that time of the month

Short fuse, insatiable hunger for junk food, sore breasts, debilitating cramps, constipation, and a seemingly never-ending stream of red fluid exiting our bodies... Ahhhh! The joys of menstruating!

My first period was a fluke; I thought it was happening and just as quickly as it came, it stopped. I have since learned that I must have broke my hymen. I was eleven years old and my mother was less than helpful. She yelled at me and told me I was disgusting. She drew me a bath and made me sit in the water. I was terrified, worried about what my body was doing. After that, I started gathering information from my friends and family. I got prepared for what it would be like to actually experience my first period but it didn't happen for awhile. Enough time passed for me to forget completely that it would happen at all. I was thirteen when ‘Aunt Flo’ decided to officially make an appearance. My younger brother and I went to West Virginia for our oldest brother's wedding. During the drive home, 8hours in a car back to Canada, I felt the dampness in-between my legs. I started to panic and asked if we could stop so I can go to the bathroom. We were going through the mountains and the gas stations/rest areas were few and far between. I sat my butt cheeks on top of my hands, allowing for some space between the seat and my ‘situation’. I almost screamed when the radio played Shania Twain's 'Man! I feel like a woman' and Tony started singing along. (I am so sorry Delbert, I made sure your car had no evidence of any of this). When we finally reached a gas station, I waddled into the bathroom, examined the massacre, and shed a few tears of loneliness and disgrace before piling half a roll of toilet paper into my pants. I told Tony he could sit in the front seat and I wrapped a sweater around my waist. We made it home and I kept this story to myself for a loooooooong time. To this day, I get a little pink in the cheeks when I see Delbert; not his fault at all, but he will forever be a part of my womanhood story 😂

It's been almost 21 years of monthly visits and I am DONE. I would do just about anything to be through with the mess and the inconvenience. I know I shouldn't complain since I have yet to experience menopause. I think its pretty funny that 'menstruating' and 'menopause' start with men! Coincidence? I think not!

#manifeellikeawoman