TRDC - Water

Red Writing Hood - Water

The prompt I used was: Water gives life

The grainy image on the screen showed a delicate hand dancing with grace. Hypnotized by the motion, I watched my daughter in the waters. She appeared to delight in the movement. Buoyed by natural surroundings, she stretched and curled up next to where she could hear my heartbeat the best. There will come a time to leave the familiar and each heartbeat brings that trickle of time crashing to the bottom of the hourglass. Each grain of sand deafening in its landing as time that has passed.

Pushed violently from the common into the unknown; the dry air was an invasion and the blanket that intended to swaddle her was offensive. When cleansing water was finally offered it was in the form of abrasive scrubbing and offered no comfort. Her strong cries of protest were not of the scrubbing, but of the uncertainty of the air. Her hands that I had watched gracefully, fluidly dance were clenched until the dimpled knuckles had whitened. I longed to watch her in wonder of this new world. I craved for her to feel comfortable and at ease cradled in my arms instead of where she had nestled beneath my heart.

Days passed and we were finally home. My feeling of relief did not transfer to her and unloosen those tiny hands. I needed us to have a moment in which we were in the familiar together. I sat in the warm waters of the bath tub with my newly born daughter. I supported her head with my hands. I watched my daughter float and glide with ease. She settled into the weightless movements and feel of the fluid as her hand began to dance again.

The crying that had continued for days and hours had stopped. She was hypnotized by the motion and I watched my daughter surrounded in warm comfort. I slowly and carefully began to pull her out of the water; to leave what had been so familiar. Although the towel I offered her was coarse and stiff, it dried the warm water droplets from her dampened curls. I laid the towel back on the side of the tub letting her nuzzle and curl up to my chest. Easing her gently into this world and let her find comfort where she could hear my heartbeat best.

Dog or Baby: A Chart For The Undecided

So you have announced yourself Mr & Mrs and now everyone wants to know when you are going to add a new bundle to your family. You are a little nervous about the prospect of taking care of a human where there is potential to send that little darling straight to a therapist’s couch to tell of all the dastardly things you did for the cause of parenting. You flip a coin on just starting with a dog or going all out with a human model.

Here is a little chart to help you compare and make your ultimate choice.

Dog	Baby
Poops in floor	Poops in floor
Slobbers on you	Drools on you
Chews on your shoes	Chews on your shoes
Barks when the doorbell rings	Screams when the phone rings
Eats off the floor	Eats off the floor
Requires shots	Requires shots
Leaves hair on the furniture	Leaves crumbs on the furniture
Humps stranger’s legs	Takes candy from strangers
Best controlled on a leash	Best controlled on a leash

Have you made the ultimate choice? In what ways have you found the two to be comparable? Would you recommend one over the other?

I Will Be Stout

I stared at a line.

A simple black slash on a crisp piece of white paper.

I looked at my husband's signature scrawled confidently on the line next to mine. He hadn't paused. No reservations. Confident as always.

My line was empty. I needed a moment.

I would sign my name. I would be stout. I needed a moment though.

A moment to grieve.

A moment to hope.

I didn't have to look up to notice the pause. Even though I was not stout, I signed.

The contractor whisked the paperwork out from under my hovered pen and shuffled it in the rest. I would take my moment later. I always take my moments later. Chatter began about getting permits and when we could expect the first drop of concrete to be poured. The wheels were finally in motion to build the in-law suite. From now on there will always need to be seven plates prepared for dinner. Doctor appointments will reside on the calendar next to play dates. The whirr of a oxygen machine will keep time with sounds of a cartoon. I will hold my daughter's hand as she walks into her first day of Kindergarten just as I will hold my in-laws hands as they face surgery or a confused moment.

This is a journey in life.

We are always on a path towards the end. This is where two separate paths will converge. We will be on this path together now.

Those lines on that piece of paper are weighted down by our signatures now. The responsibility is now on us.

I will be stout.

I will still need a moment.

*I also wrote here about this for Studio 30 Plus Magazine