You will just know
How I came to like, if not love, my period.
This is an essay I started writing in 2016, and have tweaked over the past few years. I wanted to share it in honor of the latest episode of The Side Woo podcast, and the corresponding essay, which is all about harnessing the moon as a cosmic timer. If you read to the end, that will make sense.
When I got my first period at the end-of-year party in 6th grade, I came out of the park bathroom to see the most popular girl in school behind me in line. Would she know? I was mortified and scared. I didn’t have a pad or a tampon and didn’t really know how to use either. Rather than tell anyone or do anything about it, I spiraled with worry until I got home. I had heard a few girls in my class were rewarded with presents to celebrate their first periods. One friend’s mom bought her a pair of fancy new tennis shoes- white high tops with pink rhinestones, and hot pink laces. When I told my mom hours later she said something like, “Oh Sarah, I’m sorry. Uh, ok.”
I sat depressed playing Spider Solitaire for a week until even my dad noticed, or maybe my mom told him. He asked me if anything was wrong. Everything was wrong, but I nodded my head ‘no,’ because how could I explain. Does he even know what a period is?
