Cycles

A few days ago, Michael and I had a tiny spat triggered by a certain aspect of Michael's personality that drives me crazy. Later, I was letting the argument fester, and I thought, "This only annoys me at certain times of the month." Then I thought, "That is not true. It always annoys me. I only react at certain times of the month."

Then I started thinking about women's hormonal cycles, and I came up with a theory that our Time of the Month is supposed to be a time of purging - not just physically, but emotionally - so it's okay to be more short-tempered then. Right?

Or on the flip side, maybe women have cyclical hormones so we can learn to overcome them - our spiritual selves dominating over our physical selves, or something like that.

Then I remembered that in ancient Jewish culture, women were relieved of many of their normal duties during menstruation. By religious law, they didn't have to cook or go grocery shopping or wait on their families hand and foot. Instead, they used that time to rest and recupe, and at the end of their cycle, they'd perform a special cleansing ritual as a symbolic start to their new month.

I think that is wonderful. I think we should consider adding something like that to our own culture. Can you imagine being able to say to your husband, "I've started my period. You're in charge. I'll see you in a few days." I know how I'd spend my Time of the Month - lounging in bed, reading, ignoring everything that needs done, ignoring annoying things my husband has said, ignoring the constant head-pounding bickering of my children. And then once my days were past, I'd emerge a well-rested, more relaxed, more loving wife and mother, never reacting to things that only annoy me at certain times of the month.

I'm serious. We should get this going. Who's with me?