a sloooower pace
Day 29 of shelter-in-place. Day 171 of pregnancy (24 weeks + 3 days). 1 month of consistently staying at home. And 6 months of growing new life. I never thought I'd be counting quarantined days alongside my pregnancy. Alas, life is full of surprises!
Both pregnancy and staying inside are going quite well. They actually may even complement each other in some ways. I've been forced to slow down even further... I thought I had learned that lesson fully in 2019, but it turns out there are plenty of other ways I move too quickly! And it's nice not to be rushed from one thing to the next. I can enjoy each activity – a work conference call, making breakfast, walking the dog – to completion without hurrying up to "add more time" to the next activity or task. Sure, I still find myself "future-dreaming" about what else needs to be completed in the day or getting the itch to be more "productive" (i.e. busy); but instead of scratching that need with some asinine task, I close my eyes, count my breaths, and feel Wiggles moving around inside of me.
That's not to say that I can do this successfully all the time. Some moments I feel like I might actually going INSANE if I don't get the f*ck out of the house and make an attempt to feel like a normal, modern human being – getting dressed, doing my hair and make-up, driving a car. For those moments, I do all those things. I get dressed, go for a long walk, wear jewelry and make-up. It helps. Most of the time...
I'm sure all of you are fluctuating through similar emotions... I'd be curious to know how you're carving out space for self-compassion and normalcy.
Scott and I just started our Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) virtual class. It's a 9-week online course with nine other couples that will teach us the skills and tools of mindfulness for labor, birth, and parenting. I'm excited to re-commit more deeply to meditation and mindfulness practice ... and hopefully cultivate the appropriate skills to cope with pain and childbirth! We'll share our progress with you all. It should be quite the journey!
I'm not sure life will even return to what it was before. At least not for us. And I don't think that's a bad thing. It may even be a great opportunity to reevaluate our choices, priorities, and goals as we carve out a new normal. While a lot of togetherness isn't always filled with rainbows and butterflies, slowing down has been good for both Scott and me. We bask in longer morning snuggles – with Scott's hand on my tummy feeling Wiggles move all about, we're connected and focused on what matters – creating a healthy and loving environment for Wiggles to come into soon!
Both pregnancy and staying inside are going quite well. They actually may even complement each other in some ways. I've been forced to slow down even further... I thought I had learned that lesson fully in 2019, but it turns out there are plenty of other ways I move too quickly! And it's nice not to be rushed from one thing to the next. I can enjoy each activity – a work conference call, making breakfast, walking the dog – to completion without hurrying up to "add more time" to the next activity or task. Sure, I still find myself "future-dreaming" about what else needs to be completed in the day or getting the itch to be more "productive" (i.e. busy); but instead of scratching that need with some asinine task, I close my eyes, count my breaths, and feel Wiggles moving around inside of me.
That's not to say that I can do this successfully all the time. Some moments I feel like I might actually going INSANE if I don't get the f*ck out of the house and make an attempt to feel like a normal, modern human being – getting dressed, doing my hair and make-up, driving a car. For those moments, I do all those things. I get dressed, go for a long walk, wear jewelry and make-up. It helps. Most of the time...
I'm sure all of you are fluctuating through similar emotions... I'd be curious to know how you're carving out space for self-compassion and normalcy.
Scott and I just started our Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting (MBCP) virtual class. It's a 9-week online course with nine other couples that will teach us the skills and tools of mindfulness for labor, birth, and parenting. I'm excited to re-commit more deeply to meditation and mindfulness practice ... and hopefully cultivate the appropriate skills to cope with pain and childbirth! We'll share our progress with you all. It should be quite the journey!
I'm not sure life will even return to what it was before. At least not for us. And I don't think that's a bad thing. It may even be a great opportunity to reevaluate our choices, priorities, and goals as we carve out a new normal. While a lot of togetherness isn't always filled with rainbows and butterflies, slowing down has been good for both Scott and me. We bask in longer morning snuggles – with Scott's hand on my tummy feeling Wiggles move all about, we're connected and focused on what matters – creating a healthy and loving environment for Wiggles to come into soon!
Ever evolving......
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