How do you measure, measure a year?

A friend of mine posed this question a few weeks ago. Where am I now versus a year ago? Wow, what a difference a year can make.

A year ago, I was ending nine months of intense therapy and preparing myself to move forward without that particular safety net. I was terrified, but I learned that I can make positive choices with relationships, and that I can set boundaries.

I was angry at The Husband for having surgery that would prevent me from doing the things I wanted to do that summer because I would be the kids’ sole means of entertainment, food and comfort. This surgery was absolutely necessary for his health, mind you, and I was being a total brat. I was also trying to work, to establish a steady source of income as a freelancer on the off chance that I would have to be the sole support for my kids. A year ago, I was facing a very hard reality and some difficult choices and for the first time, I didn’t analyze them all: I just let it flow.

In August, 2008, I started school, expecting almost three years to pass before I would have my degree so I could work outside the home if I had to. I’ve knocked 10 months off of that goal, and I will graduate in April 2010. I have begun to carve out a niche (or nitch – hahahaha) in my own career plans, both long-term and short-term.

How do you measure a year? I think this year can be measured in how proud I am to be able to show my kids what hard work, humor, passion and freedom really mean. Its been a year of immense growth, and I quite literally feel like a superhero. Maybe it can be measured in the mileage on my car after the roadtrip, or the 2-million nits I picked from my childrens’ hair, or the cups of coffee I’ve consumed as I write these blogs.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwYahkenwz4

Rarely do I venture into MenstruationSpace on Zee Blog. Its just not one of those things that has not come across my radar, until today. I have been reading stories from women about when they first got their periods, and I’m a little shocked at how such an important event in a girl’s life was degraded, mocked or ignored. Granted, my own experience wasn’t exactly affirming. I started my period a few months before I turned 16. I came out of the bathroom, told my mom, and she took me to the store to buy pads and told me not to ask her how to use a tampon. Thank god for Judy Blume and the 6 years of sex ed that was crammed down my throat prior to my official entrance into the joys of womanhood.

This YouTube is pretty much what I’ve been reading. Yes, we know periods are dirty, but not dirty in the sense that they are something to be ashamed of.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5AE-0_o7Z0

The root of this fear, this disgust, is patriarchal. This is nothing new. This blog, in fact, is nothing new. While I hate to beat a dead horse, some things just need to be repeated. Periods NEED to be discussed. Pads, tampons, diva cups, mamapads, sea sponges, and all of those contraptions that help a girl get through the day when she’s menstruating. Oh, and say that word with me… MENSTRUATING. Insert “men” quip if you have to, but say the word and take away its shame.

No matter what, parents and caregivers, your daughters are more than likely going to have a period (and if they don’t, its definitely a cause for concern). You give them helmets for their bicycles, driver’s ed lessons, and pay taxes to have the police patrol your neighborhood. Why the hell aren’t you telling them about their own bodies, protecting them and telling them what to expect. Periods are not going to go away. They come back every month, over and over again. Are you embarrassed? That’s probably because your own parents didn’t think enough of you to tell you the facts about your own body. Break the cycle (haha, get it?). You don’t have to have a big celebration. There is no party hat needed, no cake (but, if you’re that type of parent, then please, celebrate!) or candles. Just some rational talk about what it means to have a period, physically and emotionally, and take away the taboo that society has somehow adopted over one of the most natural events in life.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVI89uVPqOs

Well, let’s hear it for the period! I’m obviously an advocate of the process. Its cleansing, cyclical… its a connection to other women and to the earth. Its messy, inconvenient and sometimes irregular. When its gone, it causes panic. When its abundant, it causes panic. It affects honeymoon planning, skinny dipping, and even the color and style of underwear that we choose for the day. Its a reason to celebrate and a reason to purge, to clean up the mind and body, and prepare for the next cycle.

Have a period story? Want to get it off your chest? Let’s hear it!

I freaking love my SlackBerry.

There is an exceptional amount of people with whom (who?) I have very strange parallel life occurrences. So, maybe that isn’t too strange, or maybe I am pretty ordinary (gasp!), but most of these people are from times past, and pretty much all of them have reentered my realm within the past two months.

What is the planet that makes us live in the past, where is it and are there more reunions coming? Should I buy more beer?

On another note, it would be awesome if I could post mobile pics here like on facebook. I should talk to my blog manager about that.