“1973: A Year of Me”

 

BLOG POST  — “1973: A Year of Me”

Outfit of the day today is 1973. I’m wearing a vintage New York Islanders American football-style shirt — a random Vinted find, £9, and I absolutely love it. I didn’t realise I could wear it like a dress, but here we are. Could I be any happier to have a big 73 in bright orange across the front?

This marks a year of doing this — a year of documenting my journey. And I love the word journey. I love everything I’ve learned about perimenopause and menopause. I love seeing all the things I didn’t know. I love seeing my yo‑yo ups and downs, my cyclical cycle even without a period. I’ve always been body-aware — I can feel a loose hair on my shoulder or a speck of dust on my foot. So when menopause hit, it hit hard. I wish someone had told me what was going to happen.

I started sharing because so many of my friends had no idea what was happening to them. It floored me. So everything I found, I shared — first privately, then online. Not because I’m qualified, but because lived experience is the only language I have. This is how I describe things: internally, physically, emotionally, and honestly.

I’ve mastered understanding myself now — why I have terrible balance, why I don’t stare straight into the camera, why I play with my hair, why I do all the things I do. I have my big folder of words. I’ve used this whole year as a creative art journey as much as a menopause one.

I think the next year will be more art. More art outfit of the day. More art and me. I’m not buying clothes right now — menopause marmite means I’m recycling what I have. So the outfits will be fewer, but the art will be more.

I’ve managed to say something three or four times a week for a whole year. That’s pretty good. And the audience has stayed steady — between 8.5% and 11.5% engagement. People look, even if they don’t speak. Silent audiences are normal. I don’t care about numbers; I care that someone somewhere learned something. And I know they did, because I’ve had messages. That’s enough.

I’ve taken this as far as I can unless something new happens. Otherwise, it’s the same injuries, the same health, the same feelings. So now I’ll weave this into my blog — Hello Wall Poetry — my rambles, my memoir, my life story, how I got here.

I only just learned the algorithm. No wonder it’s been a yo‑yo. But this was always for me. If it helps others, brilliant. If not, it’s still my record — for my kids, my friends, anyone who wondered what changed me. Because menopause changed everything.

Better late than never.

ABOUT THE TOP — FACTS 

• New York Islanders are an American professional ice hockey team founded in 1972.

• The “73” on your top likely represents their second season, when they were still a young expansion team building their identity.

• Vintage Islanders apparel often uses orange and turquoise/blue, which matches your top.

• The style you have — long, oversized, football‑jersey cut — was common in 1970s fan merchandise, especially for women’s and youth lines.

• Wearing it as a dress fits perfectly with how 70s sportswear was often styled: oversized, bold numbers, bright colours.