Water Horse Writing Studio

My calendar shows me that yesterday was Rosh Hashana. I get fixated on the words, standing in front of the kitchen “control center” some kind of Pottery Barn product designed to put the fun back in function and look cool doing it. This one is from the original Pottery Barn marketed to middle age people as a consolation prize for becoming an adult before you are too old to enjoy it. Unlike PB Teen which is for the kids that will somehow escape middle age, like many of the 50’s generation that thinks they did by either not remembering it or by a propensity for denial.

I digress, my “control center” has a whiteboard and that is where I spent part of Sunday trying to remember the Hebrew words for “happy new year”. I remember thinking it has the word head and year in it and that got me thinking about birth. I think about how when a baby “crowns” it is always astounding. You know it is something that happens, that is inevitable, but it blows the mind. I think this must be one of the saddest parts of giving birth by C-section parents are robbed of the “there is the head!” moment. It feels like the hard part, at least for the mother, is over but hold on you have just turned the corner. I have been seeing articles about birth trauma and people, mostly women, are telling their birth stories. I think this is brave and sad. We need all of our bravery for outside threats not threats from a patriarchal medical system in service to corporate greed.

But again, I digress. In the new year, eat some apples, keep it simple and breathe through this season of letting go.

L’Shana Tova!