Creating Sustainable Cycles
by Anjali Jaster, Contributing Writer
I care about the planet. I am worried about global warming. I am a vegetarian. I recycle. Compost. Drive an electric car. I remind my family to turn lights off and minimize running water. I try to be aware of my own actions and choices. I am also a menstruator. And unfortunately, in a world crammed with self-conscious and judgmental humans, sustainably bleeding is not always easy or comfortable.
Sanctuary
In 2021, when I was going through treatments for breast cancer, I would rest most days in my bed, my little children occasionally coming in to kiss me, making me feel lucky and more whole. For me, rest was surrendering into a softness that was more metaphorical than literal. Resting after treatments was the first time I ever truly allowed my worker-bee self to have gentle comfort during the day since I was a small child (exceptions for colds and the like, of course). It was also the first time as an adult that I knew in my heart that I needed love and care, mothering. The brutal treatments lasted for a year, which was short enough for me to endure them, and, very thankfully, long enough for me to develop the almost daily habit of caring for myself.
From the vantage point of my bed cluttered with books, I was able to truly see the unfolding mayhem in my un-prioritized life….
Softening and Sweetening
In my fledgling but steadfast self-care mission, I became entirely overwhelmed with the need to write a book where girls and women could chronicle the changes in their bodies, notate when their periods have arrived, and tune into the various changes we all experience in our body, mind, and heart spaces as we go through our lives. I thought about how I, like billions of other women, have been asked about my menstruation patterns by my gynecologists, doctors, and therapists over decades — and how I have had truly no consistent or comprehensive record of them. I was awestruck by all that we go through — adolescence, venturing into the world alone, social pressures and stress, pregnancy, breastfeeding, infertility, years of poor sleep, peri-menopause, early or medically induced menopause, natural menopause, and aging — trying to stay relevant when we know deep in our bones that we are worlds more than just relevant, we are freaking imbued with awe-inspiring strength, bravery, and hard-earned good sense and wisdom.