The Promise of Spring

After 12 years of working in the ED, I have never witnessed an emergent birth. I came close one cold night in winter some years back when a woman didn’t quite make it out of the ambulance bay to be transferred to an adult hospital before delivering. But I still missed the birth itself. In mentioning my desire to witness a birth to our docs at work, the response I have gotten has not been as enthusiastic. We are a pediatric facility and our physicians are specialty trained to care for babies AFTER they leave the comfort of their mother’s womb and not a second before, let alone the moms. 

I’ve seen the last breaths taken of so many little ones that it dawned on me this week how lovely it would be to see the first. Though I understand where our docs are coming from. It is in the best interest of mom and baby if this process occurs in a place more equipped for deliveries. There is a reason it’s called the miracle of life. And we all want to keep it that way. A miracle. And life.

But ahhhhh, as the weather starts to warm and I’m over the initial hump of some recent revelations into who I am, I’m settling in to the idea of spring and the hope that it always brings.  The days get longer and with it comes more opportunity for me to see sunlight with my vampirish schedule. Pretty soon the smell of orange blossoms will waft through my nose and my amygdala will perk up with fond memories of laying out by a pool or going for runs or rides with friends on trails covered in green sprinkled with purple, pink and yellow flower specks. Yes, even the desert awakens with color in the Spring. 

I rode Arya this week. And though I tweaked my groin, my heart was fueled from the sunshine and her quirky camaraderie. They say you and your animal tend to take on each others’ personalities. I wonder who was quirky first - her or me? (Okay, ya don’t remind me. I know she’s only 7 years old…) Our chicks are growing and will be ready to lay eggs soon. And I’m gearing up to entering a season of growing. 

This blog started as a place to track my bodybuilding journey. My macros. My photos. My physical body measurements. And though I never wanted to acknowledge or admit this before, my friends, I’m here to say it now if you haven’t already figured it out. I’m a starter. I am one who starts things. I love Spring! I love newness! I love novelty. I get bored easily. 

Even from this blog, you can see that. I had a post in 2015. I was all set to blog about endurance riding. That was my first of a number of rides. And that was my only post for 3 years…whomp whomp. 

Then I had one in 2018. It was going to be the first of many blog posts once Tim, our exchange student arrived, and then nothing. Zip. Ziltch. Nada. We did share on social media and I made him a photo book of his year with us. But no more blog posts. What you can’t see here is another blog I started when my kids were younger. I had a handful of posts there. It was titled “A Day I’m the Life of the Roush Family”. Roush being my previous married name…

So when I started this blog….I wondered how long it would keep it up. Would I share it weekly as intended? Would it be just my stats? Y’all know I have too much to say for it to just be that. But I feared it wouldn’t stick.

And I started to drift away from it already a couple of weeks ago. But dang it, I preach that habits and behavior change are about progress not perfection. And frequency of behavior. So here we go. I’m going to practice what I preach for once and keep trying at this blog thing. 

The topics may end up being about anything and everything. But I’m going to practice some sticktoitiveness. I don’t know who made up that “word” but I like it. I still don’t know where this bodybuilding/life journey is going to take me. Your guess is as good as mine. But hey, at least I know there will be adventures along the way!

As the song by Tom Cochrane goes, “Life is a highway. I wanna ride it all night long.” My sis reminded me of that song a few weeks ago and it just makes me smile. Thanks Ruth! Here’s to sticking to it! Now bring on spring and color and warmer days and sunshine and tan lines and smiles!!