•9:31 PM
I can't believe I'll never do it again.
Today is the anniversary of the last time that I gave birth. That's right, it is Addie. C. Jones' birthday.
You might have assumed that I would tell you all about the birthday cake, and the look of surprise, and the presents, and the sweetness. And, I could tell you about those things because they all happened.
But I cannot stop thinking that I will never do it again. Give birth, that is. It is not to be taken for granted because not every woman gets the opportunity. Some choose to avoid it altogether. But not me, I would do it again in a minute ... it's the eighteen-month through three-and-a-half-year-old stage that I would choose to give up.
Giving birth invokes a feeling you just cannot get anywhere else in life, in my opinion. Truly. I often joke that I would rather give birth than hold a yard sale; and that is true. I would rather give birth than do a lot of things. I would rather give birth than deal with the two closets upstairs that are waiting for me ... honestly. It is the most incredible experience that I have been a part of. It cannot be duplicated, and each one is unique in its own way. Everyone has their own story, right? It is something that you do, by yourself, but with your child. Nobody else. Mother and child work in unison to bestow the gift of life.
I am a lover of all babies ... little ones, chubby ones, even the not-so-cute ones. I would very happily sit for hours and hold a baby ... in fact, when Caiden was new and I had the luxury of time, I did so ALL THE TIME.
When I was eight years old, my Uncle and Aunt had their first baby ... a little boy named Perry. I loved him as if he were my own. My Grampa loved to tell the story of the time he dropped my Grama and me off for a visit, leaving just as baby Perry was placed on my lap. Grampa returned two hours later, to find Perry and I still sitting comfortably in that same chair. There was no television on, or music playing, just me sitting with this sweet little bundle enjoying my time with him. Of course, it never dawned on me that perhaps my Grama would like a turn to hold him ... I can be a baby hog. Ask anyone who knows me.
So, it is sad for me to think that I will not have another little baby to sit and stare at, and rock, and smother with love. My uterus is aching. Jonesy is shaking his head. My body says "no more" ...
But still, I can't believe I will never do it again.
Happy Birthday, my sweet little Addie C. Jones.
You might have assumed that I would tell you all about the birthday cake, and the look of surprise, and the presents, and the sweetness. And, I could tell you about those things because they all happened.
But I cannot stop thinking that I will never do it again. Give birth, that is. It is not to be taken for granted because not every woman gets the opportunity. Some choose to avoid it altogether. But not me, I would do it again in a minute ... it's the eighteen-month through three-and-a-half-year-old stage that I would choose to give up.
Giving birth invokes a feeling you just cannot get anywhere else in life, in my opinion. Truly. I often joke that I would rather give birth than hold a yard sale; and that is true. I would rather give birth than do a lot of things. I would rather give birth than deal with the two closets upstairs that are waiting for me ... honestly. It is the most incredible experience that I have been a part of. It cannot be duplicated, and each one is unique in its own way. Everyone has their own story, right? It is something that you do, by yourself, but with your child. Nobody else. Mother and child work in unison to bestow the gift of life.
I am a lover of all babies ... little ones, chubby ones, even the not-so-cute ones. I would very happily sit for hours and hold a baby ... in fact, when Caiden was new and I had the luxury of time, I did so ALL THE TIME.
When I was eight years old, my Uncle and Aunt had their first baby ... a little boy named Perry. I loved him as if he were my own. My Grampa loved to tell the story of the time he dropped my Grama and me off for a visit, leaving just as baby Perry was placed on my lap. Grampa returned two hours later, to find Perry and I still sitting comfortably in that same chair. There was no television on, or music playing, just me sitting with this sweet little bundle enjoying my time with him. Of course, it never dawned on me that perhaps my Grama would like a turn to hold him ... I can be a baby hog. Ask anyone who knows me.
So, it is sad for me to think that I will not have another little baby to sit and stare at, and rock, and smother with love. My uterus is aching. Jonesy is shaking his head. My body says "no more" ...
But still, I can't believe I will never do it again.
Happy Birthday, my sweet little Addie C. Jones.
•5:11 PM
Labels. I love to label my stuff. Spices, the different types of rice I have collected, craft drawers, Christmas decorations. You do it, too, I bet. It makes everything concise and easy to identify. And, it looks pretty and organized, too.
However, I do not like to label people. Because no matter what, people are never easy to identify ... in my opinion. Rarely is there one word to describe a person. And assuming that you know everything about a person based on one of their traits is just wrong ... on so many levels.
A label is a lazy way of describing a person or a group; a way of singling them out from others. But most unfortunately, it leads people to ignore all the other traits about that person, aside from the thing(s) they are labelled as being. Does that make sense? Slow learner, fat, has cancer, air-head, soft-hearted, pretty ... once used, these things become the person. For instance, if you are told that a person is blind, then being blind is really the only thing you can associate with that person; even though she may be a fabulous cook.
"Have you met my Aunt Patsy?" you might ask a friend.
"Oh, is she the Aunt who is blind?" your friend replies. Not the great cook, not your Dad's sister, not the jokester, not the Aunt with the fabulous new apartment ... the one who is blind.
You've heard of that famous study, right? The one where the teacher (Jane Elliott) makes the blue-eyed children superior for a day (over the brown-eyed children). These children get a longer recess, a little extra lunch ... they're special. Because of the colour of their eyes. And the brown-eyed children learn that there is nothing they can do to change their status because they cannot change the colour of their eyes. These were the same children who, on the previous day, had responded that black people were dumb and could not hold jobs ... based solely on the colour of their skin. Of course, if this same study were conducted in today's classroom, the kids would all come to school the next day with coloured contacts ...
I think we can all learn things about ourselves from considering studies like this. What do you think when you notice a person who is over-weight? Or a person who runs (for exercise)? You make assumptions, don't you? We all do ... so don't worry, because you are not alone. Elliott went on to do diversity training with some major corporations in the United States in the 1980s. It is okay to identify the differences in us, so long as they do not define us as people. I would hate to think that people jump to conclusions about me because I have long hair, or because I have three children, or because I like to sew.
Brown-eyed girls, geeks, jocks, blind, poor, famous, ... labels, although seemingly complimentary at first, inevitably impart a negative connotation. Because it points out something that is different from the norm; and everyone wants to feel part of the group, right? Maybe you are thinking to yourself ... who wouldn't want to be known as rich and/or famous? But it is important to remember there are expectations associated with everything. If you visit a friend who is wealthy, do you expect to be treated to a fancy dinner? Or, is it okay that burgers and hotdogs are served? Because if you are unhappy with anything less than prime rib, perhaps you should take a look at your motives for friendship.
And, if people think you are smart, you are expected to be smart ALL THE TIME. But, what if you just want to goof off for awhile, and leave quantum physics behind? Can you? Will people let you be a goofball for an afternoon?
Why is it so important for some people to be "the same?" I'll tell you why ... because there is safety in numbers. Being part of the group provides some with confidence and security.
I revel in the things that make me different from you. I love that you can hit the heck out of a golf ball ... because I cannot. And, did you say that you love gardening? Because I am pretty sure that I have murdered just about every single plant I have ever owned. In fact, there is a plant on the table in the foyer who is shaking with fear right now. But there are lots of things that I am really good at ... things that may not be your area of expertise. I can bake the best cheesecake you have ever tasted - guaranteed. I am a self-proclaimed expert in the field of infertility. I taught myself to crochet and cable knit ... no small feat. I'll tell you about it one day. So, don't just think of me as a plant murderer ... because there is so much more to me than that.
Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Don't think you know everything there is to know about the complicated disorder known as Autism. Educate yourself.
If you want to learn more, click here.
However, I do not like to label people. Because no matter what, people are never easy to identify ... in my opinion. Rarely is there one word to describe a person. And assuming that you know everything about a person based on one of their traits is just wrong ... on so many levels.
A label is a lazy way of describing a person or a group; a way of singling them out from others. But most unfortunately, it leads people to ignore all the other traits about that person, aside from the thing(s) they are labelled as being. Does that make sense? Slow learner, fat, has cancer, air-head, soft-hearted, pretty ... once used, these things become the person. For instance, if you are told that a person is blind, then being blind is really the only thing you can associate with that person; even though she may be a fabulous cook.
"Have you met my Aunt Patsy?" you might ask a friend.
"Oh, is she the Aunt who is blind?" your friend replies. Not the great cook, not your Dad's sister, not the jokester, not the Aunt with the fabulous new apartment ... the one who is blind.
You've heard of that famous study, right? The one where the teacher (Jane Elliott) makes the blue-eyed children superior for a day (over the brown-eyed children). These children get a longer recess, a little extra lunch ... they're special. Because of the colour of their eyes. And the brown-eyed children learn that there is nothing they can do to change their status because they cannot change the colour of their eyes. These were the same children who, on the previous day, had responded that black people were dumb and could not hold jobs ... based solely on the colour of their skin. Of course, if this same study were conducted in today's classroom, the kids would all come to school the next day with coloured contacts ...
I think we can all learn things about ourselves from considering studies like this. What do you think when you notice a person who is over-weight? Or a person who runs (for exercise)? You make assumptions, don't you? We all do ... so don't worry, because you are not alone. Elliott went on to do diversity training with some major corporations in the United States in the 1980s. It is okay to identify the differences in us, so long as they do not define us as people. I would hate to think that people jump to conclusions about me because I have long hair, or because I have three children, or because I like to sew.
Brown-eyed girls, geeks, jocks, blind, poor, famous, ... labels, although seemingly complimentary at first, inevitably impart a negative connotation. Because it points out something that is different from the norm; and everyone wants to feel part of the group, right? Maybe you are thinking to yourself ... who wouldn't want to be known as rich and/or famous? But it is important to remember there are expectations associated with everything. If you visit a friend who is wealthy, do you expect to be treated to a fancy dinner? Or, is it okay that burgers and hotdogs are served? Because if you are unhappy with anything less than prime rib, perhaps you should take a look at your motives for friendship.
And, if people think you are smart, you are expected to be smart ALL THE TIME. But, what if you just want to goof off for awhile, and leave quantum physics behind? Can you? Will people let you be a goofball for an afternoon?
Why is it so important for some people to be "the same?" I'll tell you why ... because there is safety in numbers. Being part of the group provides some with confidence and security.
I revel in the things that make me different from you. I love that you can hit the heck out of a golf ball ... because I cannot. And, did you say that you love gardening? Because I am pretty sure that I have murdered just about every single plant I have ever owned. In fact, there is a plant on the table in the foyer who is shaking with fear right now. But there are lots of things that I am really good at ... things that may not be your area of expertise. I can bake the best cheesecake you have ever tasted - guaranteed. I am a self-proclaimed expert in the field of infertility. I taught myself to crochet and cable knit ... no small feat. I'll tell you about it one day. So, don't just think of me as a plant murderer ... because there is so much more to me than that.
If you want to learn more, click here.
•9:23 AM
I tried really hard. It's true. Actually, it's kinda embarrassing.
Today is April Fool's Day, and I wanted to come up with some kind of clever prank to pull on you.
But my brain does not work in that way.
I can give you my opinion on someone else's prank, or I can describe someone else's funny idea; but I cannot generate my own funny and clever prank. I am not devious enough or clever enough, I guess.
I think that part of the problem is that I don't really find April Fool's jokes all that funny. Most of them are stupid. Or, they make you feel stupid. Either way ... not enjoyable for me. I am a girl afterall, and my feelings ride close to the surface.
I have saved you the trouble of trying to figure out the origins of April Fools Day, or All Fools Day as it is known in some areas of the world. Nobody seems to know when the tradition started, but it seems that April 1st has been a day of pranks and jokes for a very, very long time. There are some who have found references to the celebration that go back to the 1300s.
So, since I could not come up with a prank of my own, I thought it might be fun to tell you about some of the pranks other people have come up with ...
In 1957, a respected BBC news program reported that due to an unusually mild winter and the unexplained disapperance of the spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were experiencing a bountiful spaghetti crop. Footage of women pulling spaghetti off trees was shown during the broadcast. Click here to watch the actual report. Watch it, if for no other reason than to chuckle at the women picking spaghetti in mid-calf-length skirts (for some reason, I so love them!) and high heels.
In 1998, on April 1st, Burger King announced the introduction of its newest sandwich ... the Left-Handed Whopper, specially designed for all their left-handed customers. According to the advertisement, the new Whopper would include the same ingredients as the original Whopper but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. According to Burger King, customers requested the new sandwich all day, and similarily, some were ordering the right-handed original. Honestly? There are people that (and I hesitate to use the word, but I think it might called for in this case) stupid?
In 1976, a famed British astonomer announced on BBC radio that there would be a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of the planets occurring at exactly 9:47am. If you jumped in the air, at that exact time, he explained (in a very official-sounding voice), you would experience a strange sensation of floating. People called into the radio station to report having felt the sensation; one woman proclaimed that she and her friends actually floated around the room. I wonder if these are the same people who ordered the left-handed Whopper twenty-two years later?
Someone took the time to record the top 100 April Fool's Day jokes; click here if you want to read them all. There are Loch Ness pranks, political hoaxes, someone changed the value of Pi, someone claimed to have found a real fairy, and a warning to unplug all computer-related equipment on April 1st because the Internet was undergoing some Spring Cleaning. People, it seems, will fall for anything. And beware the British because it appears they get the biggest kick out of April Fool's Day jokes.
So, move through out your day with some caution. Especially if you live with a prankster ... check the salt shaker and be wary of anyone with extraordinary news ...
Yad sloof lirpa yppah!
But my brain does not work in that way.
I can give you my opinion on someone else's prank, or I can describe someone else's funny idea; but I cannot generate my own funny and clever prank. I am not devious enough or clever enough, I guess.
I think that part of the problem is that I don't really find April Fool's jokes all that funny. Most of them are stupid. Or, they make you feel stupid. Either way ... not enjoyable for me. I am a girl afterall, and my feelings ride close to the surface.
I have saved you the trouble of trying to figure out the origins of April Fools Day, or All Fools Day as it is known in some areas of the world. Nobody seems to know when the tradition started, but it seems that April 1st has been a day of pranks and jokes for a very, very long time. There are some who have found references to the celebration that go back to the 1300s.
So, since I could not come up with a prank of my own, I thought it might be fun to tell you about some of the pranks other people have come up with ...
In 1957, a respected BBC news program reported that due to an unusually mild winter and the unexplained disapperance of the spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were experiencing a bountiful spaghetti crop. Footage of women pulling spaghetti off trees was shown during the broadcast. Click here to watch the actual report. Watch it, if for no other reason than to chuckle at the women picking spaghetti in mid-calf-length skirts (for some reason, I so love them!) and high heels.
In 1998, on April 1st, Burger King announced the introduction of its newest sandwich ... the Left-Handed Whopper, specially designed for all their left-handed customers. According to the advertisement, the new Whopper would include the same ingredients as the original Whopper but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. According to Burger King, customers requested the new sandwich all day, and similarily, some were ordering the right-handed original. Honestly? There are people that (and I hesitate to use the word, but I think it might called for in this case) stupid?
In 1976, a famed British astonomer announced on BBC radio that there would be a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of the planets occurring at exactly 9:47am. If you jumped in the air, at that exact time, he explained (in a very official-sounding voice), you would experience a strange sensation of floating. People called into the radio station to report having felt the sensation; one woman proclaimed that she and her friends actually floated around the room. I wonder if these are the same people who ordered the left-handed Whopper twenty-two years later?
Someone took the time to record the top 100 April Fool's Day jokes; click here if you want to read them all. There are Loch Ness pranks, political hoaxes, someone changed the value of Pi, someone claimed to have found a real fairy, and a warning to unplug all computer-related equipment on April 1st because the Internet was undergoing some Spring Cleaning. People, it seems, will fall for anything. And beware the British because it appears they get the biggest kick out of April Fool's Day jokes.
So, move through out your day with some caution. Especially if you live with a prankster ... check the salt shaker and be wary of anyone with extraordinary news ...
Yad sloof lirpa yppah!
