Consider for a minute that you are merely an organism on this planet. You are the result of every effect following another effect so far back that we cannot make out the fuzzy long distance image of what an original cause might have been. This moment you are experiencing right now is exactly what needs to happen and is what creates the moment you are experiencing now just seconds later. Imagine that there are countless timelines all moving forward and intersecting each other, with every person, every animal, every molecule experiencing a varied experience of the very same shared moment in history.

Life is so beautiful because of it’s diversity/difference and rich lush landscapes with one complex harmony of structures meeting another. The intricate network of nutrients in transit in the structure of a leaf sits against the cold lifeless concrete that’s been from the soil, to the factory, to the truck, laid down by a worker and has now seen thousands of these leaves live and die against it. When I slow down and think about the complexity of every object, every being, every aspect of my daily experience, I find that not only is the world inherently forever in motion and constantly changing but that each and every state of every thing is perfect.

As humans, we’ve all had the opportunity to be born. Some of us will be lucky enough to go into labor one day. If birth is so prevalent why is it that most of us know so little about it? Birth has been on my mind a lot lately. A dear friend of mine is eight months pregnant and another friend of mine just recently gave birth. As a 22 year old woman, I’ve been exposed to very little information about the child bearing/rearing process. It’s rarely discussed in the media or among my peers- which I find puzzling. I find it strange that most young women and men understand more about sex than they do about reproduction.  I’m under the impression that many people feel that birth is something that we find out about in the process of doing it. It is handled by doctors that, it is presumed,  are trained to know about birth than we do.

In my freshman year of college I was exposed to my first birthing video. It terrified me. I left the room feeling angry and disowned by my own gender. In this film, a woman was in the hospital laying down while the doctors injected her with many birth inducers and pain killers. At the peak moment, the baby was pulled out, the umbilical chord was cut, and its throat was quickly cleaned out: both the mother and the child were screaming. I was angry that I was a woman and it was possible that if I had a child birthing experience it would look like that.

I wasn’t exposed to any other options. Fast forward to the present.

Around two weeks ago I had the opportunity to view two documentaries: The Business of Being Born and Birth as We Know It. The Business of Being Born ” interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system.” It enlightened me, scared me, and, most importantly, gave me new options on what a birthing experience can look like. Birth as we Know It is described as a film that has an illuminating effect “on the impacts of conscious conception, pregnancy and birth”. This stunning film showed images of wild women giving birth in the warm lagoons of the Black Sea. Both of these films radically shifted and healed my prior anger with the birthing process. I learned about different birthing practices that included more holistic and empowered birthing techniques.

Although both films included at home births- which many of us consider dangerous in the US, I was left feeling at peace with my options and abilities as a woman. It would be amazing for many women AND men to see these films, as this information gives them an opportunity feel more included in the birthing process.I’d like to add that I have no intention of having children anytime soon -yet this film still left me feeling more empowered and connected to my femininity. If you are interested in birth, are expecting, or know anyone who is expecting I highly recommend watching this film. I am so thankful to have been exposed to so many new ideas around conception, it has helped me understand so much more about how precious human life really is.

Hot weather, ripe tomatoes, mulberries, and our corn is growing! Chickens and cows are happy for the sunshine and so are we and our plants. We had our first "new" potatoes made into potato salad and fresh strawberry shortcake, all made from farm ingredients for Matthew's birthday on Sunday. Mabel, our granddaughter turns two on Thursday and she is excited about her birthday coming! One of our cows, Cacao is due any day now, however we are hoping she waits until we return from Mexico so we will be here to care of the new baby calf.