The Importance of Being Positive

I love Elisabeth Karlsson. I really cannot say enough about how wonderful and amazing she is, especially when it comes to being positive in occasionally not so positive situations. A perfect example of this is pregnancy. When I first started talking to Elisabeth about having a baby she shocked me by telling me how wonderful it is. This was literally the first time I had heard that pregnancy could actually be a good experience. Did Elisabeth have a "perfect" pregnancy? No, she did not, but she chose not to dwell on the tough things and focused instead on the miracle it is to create life.

Having now experienced the majority of a pregnancy I truly appreciate how important this positive outlook is. A journey into the unknown is often pretty darn scary, uncomfortable, and just plain irritating at times but friends like Elisabeth make the difference between dealing with those times and dwelling on them. Having a doula has also been a great thing for me. Jillynn NEVER dismisses my fears or my concerns. She NEVER tries to force her beliefs on me despite the fact that she is so passionate about them. She has remained a cheerleader, a listening ear, and a wise guide in my pregnancy journey.

I am so grateful that I am not afraid to give birth. So many women lack that gift and their pregnancies and birth experiences often suffer because of it. I am not so naive to believe that my birth experience will be perfect or painless, in fact I expect it will be very painful and far from perfect, but I have found peace in knowing that having a positive view of the birthing process and the part that my body plays in that process will help me have a better experience. So, it is with life! Opposition and trials are a vital part of our existence! We grow and develop because of difficulties and suffering as well as joyful experiences. If life were perfect how would we learn? The important thing to remember is to always look for the positive in these difficult situations, even though it is difficult at times. That is why we have friends.

I hope that I will always remember to speak positively to others about my experiences and not fall into the common practice of negative group "purging" that I see so often when groups of women get together. It is SO damaging and anything but instructive and supportive, kind of like gossip, but that is a topic I will reserve for another time!