On a new life and an old year

Sometimes I need
only to stand
wherever I am 
to be blessed~ Mary Oliver

It was a morning of August. I was standing near the signal after my regular walk, waiting for the traffic light to change its color. She was there, wearing her smile under a blue mask, spreading warmth through her eyes, ” Ninth month?” I nodded, “Yes.” “Must be hard in a pandemic.” I nodded again.

There is no short cut to good results, I have been told a thousand times when I was growing up. So I endured the whole seven out of nine months of pregnancy with different colored masks, exercising, creating and sharing healthy stories and meals, mostly staying sane by accepting “new normals”, and delivered a baby surrounded by amazing healthcare workers amidst all the chaos. It was magical, exhilarating, to be safe, and to give birth to a baby in a year that has mostly been associated with losses and griefs. It felt odd and selfish to share my personal joy with that world for a while.

And now we are in December, reading news of the arrival of Covid vaccines and another alarming rise of Covid cases.

How was your year?

My year was not like a flat line- between finding Toilet papers and groceries to trusting my masked doctors, I just realized how much our muscles can stretch to live through changes.

For a while, our porch was full of presents from people who we knew. There were baby clothes, books, and even a month by month count down baby blanket. As if the social distance were making us closer. As if love and care were the strongest antidotes to the fear of the virus. The only thing a new mother wants in early months is to get noticed and loved. And I felt so loved.

A year ago, when the world was virus free, I wrote a piece on making choices. Well. Here we are. A year that taught us to make the most from limited choices. And also to know the consequences of them.

This is my second experience with motherhood. And I am living each minute of it. Most probably my only role where I am so tired and so happy at the same time.

Happy Holidays, dear readers~

See you at your brighter side of 2021 with more creativity and more memories.