For the past two years, I’ve been wearing braids, doing them myself because going to a salon just isn’t in the budget right now. I’m grateful for the skills to style my own hair, but recently, my hair and my life have started changing in ways I didn’t expect.

I’m perimenopausal. One of the many symptoms is hair loss. Today, I experienced it in a way that left me shaken. As I was washing my hair, clumps of it started falling out. At first, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was afraid to even see how much hair I had left.

I tried to comfort myself, telling myself, It’s just hair. It’ll grow back. But the reality of my limited finances hit me hard. I felt sad and unsure of what to do. I thought to myself, I’m not weak. I can get through this. Women deal with this all the time, right?

Still, I felt numb uncertain about what comes next.

I finally told my husband what had happened, and in that moment, I broke. I wept in his arms, loudly and without holding back. It was one of the most comforting feelings I’ve ever known, to just be there in his embrace, letting all my fear and sadness pour out.

I didn’t have answers. All I could do was stay in the moment the moment of a woman who is growing older, facing the challenges that come with it.

This isn’t easy. But I know I’m not alone, and maybe, just maybe, there’s something beautiful in learning to embrace the changes life brings.