Mum's Moving On

Mum tells me she had just hit menopause. Hot flushes, uncontrollable tempers, emotional eating. Surprising to me really, she's just so controlled and lives in such routine, can't think of her like that. Dad and sis has been at the brunt of the hormones, and she does use menopause as an excuse. I think its funny. She doesn't like saying good bye to her old friend. It used to remind her of her body, puts her in a good frame of mind, that she is in sync with her seasons. More excuse to drink carrot juice. So shamelessly new age. But then again periods were easy for mum. Relatively painless and brief. Not like my aunty whom spends days on end in bed. During university I used to turn blue on the first day, stretching out under the library table, having to leave a lecture. Mum is also clinical about periods, getting it down to an art in her calendar. Like her shopping lists and her plants and the alarm clock on her bedside. She says she's going to go to the doctors toremove her IUD. She chuckles at our conversation. I can't believe a piece of wire has been in there for that many years, exactly the same place where I used to be. Where she grew me from two cells to a jelly bean to a pink furball and popped me out. She tells me that the holiday she and dad have been planning for ever is finally going to take place. Leaving her diary and phone behind. No more procrastinating.

A woman is born to bleed. She is to nurture the world and to feed it, but only does it well if she is nurtured in return. She renews and she recharges. She learns and she teaches. She's really born to give and receive like all people, but she always ends up giving too much. Mum's given so much all her life. I hope now her body will tell her that its time to stop just giving, but sit back and take a bit of love in and time off.