bits of thoughts

Cherry Blossoms in D.C., March 2009

Some things I've been thinking about lately... I will probably expound more on some of this in later posts...this post is mostly just for me to clear my thoughts a bit...

I spent ALL DAY yesterday reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. Its our book club pic this month and I had checked it out from the library but then didn't start it until this weekend. It was due yesterday and I still had 3/4 of it to read, so I read all day to get it done. It wasn't the greatest book and I was really just pushing to get it done, but it did give some cool stuff to think about. Like that thoughts have matter and therefore can exert force. Thus our thoughts have the power to actually CHANGE the physical world. Interesting stuff to contemplate.

I've been thinking how this can apply to preparing for childbirth. I use self hypnosis for childbirth and the main idea of it is that our minds have the power to help our bodies relax and reinterpret the pain of labor so that it is manageable. I've been focusing more this time around on reading only positive birth stories. I've even been trying to limit them mostly to home birth stories since that is what we are planning. I want to keep only that image in my mind of a smooth, healthy delivery at home. I want to remain confident in my body's ability to birth my baby easily and without complication. Fear only leads to more tension which leads to more pain.

..............

I've also been contemplating lately more about the type of person and mother I want to be. I have this image in my mind of who I want to be and the things I want to do, but I'm not always taking the steps to get there. I want to do that more. I want to learn more about natural and herbal medicine. I want to exercise more. I want to increase my spirituality. I want to be more mindful and present. I want to use my time better and be more organized. I want to simplify. I want to grow my own food. I want to bake bread. I want to sew. I want to be an artist and create.

And I want to teach these things to my children. I want our home to be a happy place, full of love and kindness. Full of books and music and art. I want to foster creativity. Now that Asher is getting older I want to start doing art projects with him. I just began reading Young at Art by Susan Striker and am excited to get started on this process. I want to become more of an artist myself. I think all humans have an innate desire to create. I think it is one of our most godly attributes. I want to spend more time creating and making sure my children are encouraged to do that also.