My blood leaked around the edges, destroying countless pairs of underwear, spotting my pants, staining not just my clothes but my car’s seat, my friend’s couch, my good living room chair (years later, when I finally had a living room and enough time had passed for me to actually have a good chair!), even the bleachers at my kids lego robotics competition. Requiring emergency trips to bathrooms in shopping malls, convenience stores, downtown, school, and various offices in countless towns. My blood made itself known.

It ran down my legs, sometimes gushing, and generally remained relentlessly like an endless creek flowing steadily for 5 days. It tufted in my pubic hair. Reliably, Day 2 was always the messiest. Still, I loved it.

Frustrating. 

It can be frustrating when things don’t work the way we want. Whether it’s the wifi connection so we can watch a movie on Netflix, or the car window not rolling up when we hit the power button, whether it’s the kids missing the school bus and making us late for work, or a partner using all the hot water in the shower leaving us with only cold. And it can be especially frustrating when our body doesn’t work the way we, or our partner, expect.