Gratitude Sunday

I toyed with retitling this week’s Gratitude Sunday: “What Freaks Me Out.” Instead I’ll share the whys of my being freaked out and then spend some time acknowledging why life is still good. Reason #1 for being freaked out: a 10 year old boy in South Carolina died of dry drowning after his first and last trip to the swimming pool , nearly one hour after he left. I cannot even imagine what his mother is going through. The scary factor with dry drowning is that the symptoms  are not easily noticed; basically, parents should look for changes in their child’s behavior, difficulty breathing, and tiredness. To read more about dry drowning, click here to visit MSNBC’s coverage.

Reason #2 for being freaked out: Oil prices are soaring up to $140/barrel, and over the weekend, gas prices climbed over $4/gallon. As an environmentalist, I recognize the benefits of rising prices for gasoline; for example, as my husband the conservative point outs, drivers will think twice before purchasing a large S.U.V. or making unnecessary trips in their cars, so as a nation, we’ll use less gasoline. The downside to this “crisis” is that it motivates the “idea people” to say “let’s start drilling for gasoline in Alaska,” rather than trying to curb the problem of  over-consumption of gasoline by Americans (and the rest of the industrial world for that matter).

But here’s what really bothers me: the effect of soaring gasoline prices on jobless and low wage workers. Gasoline prices go up, and in turn, the cost of everything else goes up too.  While some Americans will notice the effects of rising gas prices, they will continue to buy gasoline, drive, and consume as they normally would.  These Americans are otherwise unaffected by the increasing cost of gasoline and thus, living.  Sadly though, this is not the case for many.  I wonder how workers who are paid $8/hour will manage to make a trip to the grocery store or even if they will be able to afford their groceries after filling the tanks of their cars.

I apologize for being a downer. I can’t even begin to make sense of what our nation is experiencing; even Ed McMahon is facing a housing crisis.

Reason #3 (although this doesn’t necessarily constitute being freaked out): This past week I attended the Green Our Vaccines Rally in Washington, D.C. where I gained an awareness about autism and its potential link to unsafe vaccinations and intense vaccine schedules. Surrounded by so many families and children affected by autism, I felt angry for them, but at the same time, I felt inspired by their hope. Jenny McCarthy played a song about change, the lyrics “It’s been a long time, but change is gonna come, yes it will.” Actually the song made me wonder whether Ms. McCarthy is an Obama supporter . . .

But even though life can freak me out, I return, again and again, to the idea that life is rewarding, worthwhile, and well, humorous. I write this as my daughter looks at a photo of a sheep and in a scratchy, almost monstrous voice, yells, “Ba-aah, ba-aah, ba-aah!”

Okay, so let’s move on to the goodness in life. Here goes:

1. Books. There’s no denying that life is hard. I find escapism in the form of a book to be a very healthy and smart way to get away from it all when I am sitting in the middle of a disaster. This week I’m reading The Vital Touch by Sharon Heller, Ph.D.,  Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Pre-School Years  by Elizabeth G. Hainstock, and The Vaccine Book by Robert W. Sears, M.D.

2. My Garden. Keeping a garden is helping me reconnect with nature in an unexpected way. Last week I introduced my green friend Elizabeth from Boston, who discussed how Americans are out of touch with their environment because of the ways that we interact with our food sources. For our family, we notice how the weather affects our plants, pushing them over with heavy winds and rains, flooding the soil, or drying them out during heat waves. Our family’s garden offers me an appreciation for the work that our farmers do, enduring bad weather, crops, etc. Our garden has given me gratitude for the food I eat everyday.

3. The Business of Being Born. One of my good friends recently became co-director of the local chapter of Birth Matters, and as part of her work for this organization, she showed Ricki Lake’s Business of Being Born. After viewing this film, I felt overwhelmed. First, I regretted how my daughter’s birth turned out. No, I did not have a cesarian, but I did have an induction with pitocin (a decision made by an ob-gyn at my mid-wife’s practice) and I did receive an epidural. So, for a long time I felt regret.  But I am moving on from any regrets and am asking myself questions: what can I do to make sure that I have my ideal birth with other children?  How can I ensure my baby’s safety and health, as well as my own?  What is the best pre-natal care for me and my family?  For starters, I am researching birthing classes like the Bradley Method and Hypno Birthing, and my husband and I are planning to visit midwifery practices and birth care centers. We are empowering ourselves for future births by educating ourselves and finding out the cesarian rates at local hospitals and birthing centers. There is an excessively high rate of C-sections in our country, and while I agree that the most important part of birth is delivering a healthy baby, it seems that traditional birth care in the U.S. over the last century has meant a loss of dignity for the laboring mother so that doctors and medical personnel retain control.

4 .  The Green Our Vaccines Rally.  Per what I wrote above, the Green Our Vaccines Rally angered and saddened me for the harm done to children and families affected by unsafe vaccinations and vaccine schedules.   At the same time, the rally inspired me in that a small group of people really can influence change.  Even if the Green Our Vaccines Rally changed the perspective of one person, the rally was worthwhile and effective in that it raises awareness about a the controversial debate over how and when to vaccinate our children.   Of course, I, like many parents, do not want to risk outbreaks of measles, mumps, and rubella, however, I do want to lower my child’s risks for having adverse reactions to a vaccine schedule that is too intense.

5.  The Great Indoors.   Here in Washington, D.C. we are experiencing a heat wave with an index of 105 degrees.  Let’s just say that my daughter learned to say, “hot” this week.  As soon as I open our front door, she shouts, “Hot! Hot!”  We are drinking lots of water and are staying away from alcoholic beverages (yes, our heat advisory actually specifies that folks should drink non-alcoholic beverages to stay hydrated), but my daughter seems like she’s going stir crazy from not being able to stay outside for long periods of time.   Me though?  Um, I know air conditioning is an energy drainer, but I will say that I am grateful that our home is cool and comfortable.  For the environment’s sake though, we can improve the efficiency of our home’s air conditioning system, as well as setting the thermostat at 78 degrees.  To learn more about improving your home’s air conditioning, visit the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, and to find out about alternatives to Air Conditioning, visit PlanetFriendly.net.

Oh, and for those who are wondering about my ear infection . . . I still can’t hear out of my right ear.  In another couple of days I may schedule an appointment with an ear and nose specialist, but until then, sometimes it’s kind of nice being able to tell someone, “Oh, I didn’t hear you.  That was my bad ear.”