You don't have to suffer in silence 💕

#WednesdayWisdom

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." —Maya Angelou

Morning Musings

Early Friday morning I woke up every hour on the hour to change my ultra-size tampon ... yes, the ones that are supposed to provide "up to 8 hours of comfortable, leak-free protection" on your heaviest days. I call bullshit. I'm sure for some lucky soul somewhere these work, but I've been suffering from abnormally heavy periods for the last two years ... mostly in silence. Until now.

Because I happened to be in Phoenix for a much needed girls' weekend, I waited for my friend to wake up before asking if we could make an emergency trip to the nearest drugstore for some more pads and tampons because yes, I need both to manage this monstrosity of a menstrual cycle. Heaven, help me.

Being the good friend that she is, she immediately chastised me. "Girl, why didn't you wake me up?! Better yet, you could have taken the keys and driven yourself." Upon our return from Walgreens, the other women in the group chimed in as well. "Girl, you should have said something. I had extra pads in my purse."

As it turns out, all five of us had experience with heavy periods whether it was due to uterine fibroids, which I have, or endometriosis. Well, I'll be damned. All of a sudden I felt less alone and, quite honestly, less embarrassed about my condition, which I am seeking treatment for, rest assured.

This, my friends, was the power of a Sister Circle. I'm sure there may be a more textbook definition out there, but for me, a Sister Circle is a powerful gathering of badass Black women. As we literally sat in a circle sharing our stories of miscarriages, infertility and the burden of being "strong Black women," I wanted to cry tears of joy. It was one of the most moving experiences I'd had in a long time. I have a pretty diverse group of friends, but there's just something special about Black women. It's truly a sisterhood that I'm so proud and honored to be a lifelong member of.

And, as the women who surrounded me that morning so eloquently reminded me, you don't have to suffer in silence. That's what sisters are for.

Love,
L'Oreal

ICYMI

Last month, a couple of up-and-coming bloggers profiled me on their websites. Whenever someone wants to interview me, I experience a brief moment of imposter syndrome like, "You want to talk to me? But I'm not qualified for this...I'm still figuring this out, too!" So without further ado...check out my features on OprahZipBradford.com and NajyaWilliams.com.

Links I Love

We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in Reaction GIFs

How to Harness the Power of a Personalized Mantra

Tell Me What You Did Today, And I'll Tell You Who You Are

My Latest Obsession

When describing Shrill to a coworker, I said it's about "abortion, body positivity and Twitter trolls," which is a pretty accurate synopsis, if you ask me. And if that's your jam, then this book is for you. I absolutely love Lindy West's writing and am secretly hoping she writes another book because she is the kind of badass b*tch I'd love to be friends with IRL.

Now Hiring

Writing Fellowship at Bitch Media

Director of Marketing and Communications at Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia

Director of Special Events at Shedd Aquarium

Communications Manager at PICO National Network

Vice President for Inclusive Excellence at Virginia Commonwealth University

Director of Student Services at Civitas Schools

Director, Brand Identity at Dollar Shave Club

Social Editor at The Infatuation

Well, that's all folks. I hope you enjoyed this of LT in the City Weekly! Hit me up on the Interwebs below or simply click "reply" to tell me what you think. Thanks a bunches!