Summer Cycles

Every summer I think it’ll be the year that my lilies stop blooming. They are always at least a good two weeks behind all the other lilies in the neighborhood, and I watch and wait and eventually resign myself to thinking that this will be the year that their blooms never quite blossom. Not only is it the neighborhood lilies that make me question my own, it is the fact that I get photo reminders in my email from years past, where I am confronted with proof that my own lilies were indeed blooming earlier in past years. They keep showing up though, late blooming beauties that remind me that patience is rewarded, and as slow as some things seem to be moving right now, time is indeed moving forward and what must bloom, blooms. In less than a month, they will serve reminders of another turn of time’s wheel.

We go through so many phases in life, repetitions that spiral us along our paths, experiences that seem different on the daily scale, until we step back and see how cyclical life is. Seasons and stages, milestones and disappointments, we treasure the highlights and manage, again and again, to somehow get through all of the challenges from irritants to miseries.

I’ve been thinking a lot about life cycles and stages lately, mostly about perimenopause and menopause, firstly because I read a novel about a women going through perimenopause and interviewing other women about their experiences with both perimenopause and menopause and it was fascinating. The second reason why it’s been on my mind is that at 49, I must assume that I too am in perimenopause although I haven’t had any symptoms yet that others have noted, such as hot flashes, irregular cycles, or emotional/hormonal upheaval. I’ve been wondering though if I have experienced quieter symptoms without realizing it, just as puberty serves up so many changes that do not always get acknowledged as puberty’s influence. For example, at times I’ve wondered if my irritability at the crowded traffic or the construction in every direction around my home are really just calling cards of perimenopause, letting me know that my hormones are changing, my life stage is changing, and therefore I too need to make changes.

I want to honor these changes but I also intend to support myself through them with lifestyle choices and of course, herbs. The first herb I am taking is Vitex Berry, also known as Chaste Berry or simply Vitex, and it is the go-to traditional herb for supporting women’s cycles at all times of a female life, although not for use when pregnant or lactating. When I start to notice more changes and actually enter menopause, I will likely opt for a blend of herbs such as this daytime combination formula and this nighttime product. Even with herbal support, the fact that menopause is dubbed, “the change of life” is enough evidence to know that big changes are coming, and if puberty is the best reference for how it’s going to go, I think preparing in advance is the best option. One thing that is encouraging though, is I’ve read that women say their mental health is much improved after menopause because of the end of the hormonal ups and downs every month. I wonder if that is why so many older women have such even, serene demeanors…my guess is yes.

I love how herbs can support us throughout our lives, even when modern Western medicine shrugs its shoulders or offers invasive options with bad side effects. As I have often said here, I am all for making use of modern medicine and would not choose to go back in time when leeches were employed in medical procedures and surgeries were unmedicated, but when it comes to supporting life stages, it is so nice to have our herbal allies to rely on with their gentle offers of balance.

What new herbs are you experimenting with right now? I’d love to hear!