Bloggers Unite for EndoMarch: Week 8 - Reactions

This week we answer:  Did you tell your friends, family, co-workers that you are going to the march?  What were their reactions? 

Pretty much everyone important in my life knows I have endometriosis.  My parents, my "surrogate family" of four sisters and their parents, my closest friends and even most of my co-workers.   Any of my "friends" on FB who follow my posts know too because I post stuff about it occasionally through the year and a lot during March.

I told everyone I would be attending the EndoMarch when I first learned about it back in December, I think.  Every single response I got was amazingly positive.  Not that I thought any wouldn't be, but you just never know how people are going to react when you tell them you're marching on Washington, DC, haha!  All of my friends said it's awesome and a few even said they were proud of me.

My parents were supportive, but they were and still are very worried that I'll be traveling into the big, bad city all alone.  "You're not taking anyone with you?!"  Thirty-one years old and I'm still their little baby.  Always will be no matter what age, and they will always worry no matter what I'm doing or where I'm going.  I love them for it dearly, but... *sigh*

The most recent person I told about the march was a client at work.  I've known her for many years, and she is super sweet.  We were talking about a work event that I said I would be missing because I would be on vacation.  She asked where I would be going, and I told her I would be attending the Million Woman March for Endometriosis.  She is retired now, but I believe she used to be a nurse.  She acted like she knew what endo was, and I told her a little info about the march.

She then asked me how I got involved with it.  I told her that I have endometriosis and found myself blushing a little bit.  It was the first time I'd told someone that wasn't a friend or family member, and I guess I was really nervous.  I didn't need to be though, as she was totally awesome about it.  She said she thought it was absolutely wonderful that I was going and then gave me advice about walking around DC by myself, hehe.  Very sweet lady.

As much as I think about endo and do talk about it with friends and family, and also endo awareness and how I'm fine putting stuff all over FB, I was a little surprised at myself when it came time to tell someone else about it.  Maybe because of the social anxiety and the fear of being judged.  Maybe because it was a client at work.  Maybe because to a certain extent there is still the stigma of talking about your period.  Maybe because as much as we talk about it, it can be a very hard journey and one that at times is not always so easy to share.

http://www.millionwomenmarch2014.org/