Does anyone else hang on to old calendars?I love to reminisce as I read and reread the scribbled notes on my 2008 calendar. My old calendar is full of appointments, birthdays, trips, births, due dates, anniversaries, special events, etc. The planning, anticipation of each event involves an emotional investment of myself and as I remember each one the emotions come flooding back. I also like to read other people's calendars. My mom's is so much fuller than mine; she is a super amazing, energetic, ball of fire!
I put all my scribbles on the calendar that is on my refrigerator so that family members coming and going are in the loop. The guest bedroom calendar was blank, beautiful but blank so I had no qualms about tossing it (scriptures and all).
Here at work I starting really reading my calendar from last year and guess what, it has some great stuff! Every month had a Successories motivational quote.
For instance, December's theme was CHANGE. Can you see how that relates to pregnancy, labor and birth? Here is what it said, "Recognize that life is in constant motion and every change happens for a reason".
November's theme was CHOICE. Success is not reached by chance, it is reached by choice. Midwifes, homebirthing families, doulas know well how this relates to birth. If a woman is even somewhat healthy and she wants a natural birth, an unmedicated birth with little to no intervention, or maybe an ecstatic birth she will find out that she has the option to birth at home. Will she be successful in her vision and birth wishes? It's her choice.
I love what October says about VISION, Advance confidently in the direction of your dreams and endeavor to live the life you have imagined!
September is a really great mantra for pregnancy and labor (and life)! STAY IN THE RACE - Be the one who sets the course, focusing on the right things at the right time. Pregnancy is a good time to "focus on the right things at the right time! Read (focus on) positive birth stories not negative birth stories. During labor focus on your body, the air you breath, your baby, relaxing every fiber of every muscle as well as you can (big time focus!), like the non focused awareness that your Birthing From Within mentor taught you. Focus on the present moment and do not be cerebral, thinking thoughts like, "What is he thinking?", "How dilated am I?", "how much longer will I labor?" These thoughts are not staying in the moment. "I feel the warm sun coming in the window", "I hear my helpers breathing with me", "I hear my own breathing", "I see the light through the crack in the door", "I feel my baby move". Focus without judgment will allow you to 'stay the race' or the 'course' and experience your power like never before.
All this from a calendar! We can really see where our hearts are by our interpretation of our tangible world each day - eh? My heart is with you, my friend, woman-with-child or mommy-to-many.
Lastly I would like to share something that I found a couple of years ago and again recently. It rings true so deeply in my heart. I’m like, "What?" "Somebody else feels what I feel?" "How could they have put my tortured mind at rest so completely in one sentence?" Good day, Rosie
"...be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves... Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now."
Rainer Maria Rilke
