Pat Owoc
It’s been interesting – living in this body. Sometimes it surprises me with its strength and sometimes I’m frustrated by its giving out just when I need to do more. As I get older I find that my stamina is waning and that there are more “hesitations” in my movement. Generally, though, I’ve been pleased with how resilient and smooth-functioning this body as been. My parents were strong people, and pretty matter-of-fact about a lot of things. Neither of them “enjoyed poor health” but were able to physically do what needed to be done on the farm. My sister and I had a pretty good understanding about what happened to animals and to human bodies from observing the cycles around us – birth, growing up, maturation, giving birth, adulthood, death from tragedy or accidents and death from aging. The onset of menstruation and the cessation are a part of that life cycle. Not precious, not mysterious, not sacred, not reviled – it just is. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable or problematical or, like any other body function, dysfunctional. It just is. Mostly, when I think of menstruation, I think about the bother – cleanliness and the need to regulate my life according to the cycle of the body. Let my body be the healthiest it can be at any time – and function well.

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