I might be kid-ding around, but I'm certainly not kidding around, when I say S is pregnant. She has been for a while, about five months, but she wanted me to wait a bit before I announced it on my blog. Although, I doubt it's real much of an announcement as the four people who read this blog probably already learned this news a long time ago. Regardless, we are both pretty excited.
When we tell this to couples who already have kids the conversation often goes something like this.
Us: We're having a kid.
Them: Oh wow! That's so awesome! Congratulations! We're so happy for you guys.
Us: Thanks.
Them: You're life is going to change SO much.
Us: Yeah, we know. It's pretty exciting.
Them: No, I mean everything changes, EVERYTHING .
Us: That's what we've heard.
Them: You won't believe it. It's just going to change SO much. Our lives just changed SO much when we had our son.
Us: Well, we're preparing for some big changes.
Them: Hahaha... you can't prepare for this, you think you can, but you can't. Your lives are just going to change SO much.
[Etc., etc.]
I know most people are just excited and want to give their perspective, but this conversation is growing quite tiresome. Yes, our life is going to change, we get it. And if we don't get it, because you can't ever get it without actually going through it, then you standing here telling us about how we don't get it isn't really accomplishing anything, now is it? We're having a baby, it's a big deal to us, but it's not like several billion people haven't done this before.
This is actually a very comforting thing to tell myself when I freak out. Well, I don't really ever freak out, but it's a comforting thing to tell S when she freaks out. Everybody has or has had or will have a child, literally (well, almost literally). If there is one thing people can do well, it's have babies. Our entire evolution, our entire being, essentially boils down to this. Parents do not constitute a very exclusive club, and if everybody else can do it, then so can we.
In Bill Bryson's terrific book A Short History of Nearly Everything, the author comes to the general conclusion that the only discernible meaning of life is to propagate -- to create more life. Unless you're religious, that's pretty much all there is to it -- keep your species going -- which probably explains why so many people are religious. It's pretty unsettling to think that all we are is a widget in a self-perpetuating system that's completely pointless outside of itself. But, if there is more to it than this, it's lost on me.
Alright, I think that's it for this entry. I'm short on time, because I spent the past two days doing work around the house. I hate work around the house. In fact, I hate work of any preposition the house -- around the house, on the house, in the house, about the house -- it all sucks, but sometimes you have to do it. We bought a lawn mower, and I cut the grass yesterday. It's an old-school motorless mower, which is perfect for our smallish yard. It works well, it's ecofriendly, and you get a decent workout. Also, we finally had time to finish painting the room we started a few weeks ago. I think it's going to turn out a-ok.
Well, until next time...
["Three Men and a Baby." This movie is funny because it's men trying to take care of a baby. Can you believe that, men?! And not just one man but three of them! (Take that "Mr. Mom"!) Oho! The only thing that could possibly top this is if it was three men trying to take care of a little girl instead of a baby, but Hollywood could never be that clever.]
When we tell this to couples who already have kids the conversation often goes something like this.
Us: We're having a kid.
Them: Oh wow! That's so awesome! Congratulations! We're so happy for you guys.
Us: Thanks.
Them: You're life is going to change SO much.
Us: Yeah, we know. It's pretty exciting.
Them: No, I mean everything changes, EVERYTHING .
Us: That's what we've heard.
Them: You won't believe it. It's just going to change SO much. Our lives just changed SO much when we had our son.
Us: Well, we're preparing for some big changes.
Them: Hahaha... you can't prepare for this, you think you can, but you can't. Your lives are just going to change SO much.
[Etc., etc.]
I know most people are just excited and want to give their perspective, but this conversation is growing quite tiresome. Yes, our life is going to change, we get it. And if we don't get it, because you can't ever get it without actually going through it, then you standing here telling us about how we don't get it isn't really accomplishing anything, now is it? We're having a baby, it's a big deal to us, but it's not like several billion people haven't done this before.
This is actually a very comforting thing to tell myself when I freak out. Well, I don't really ever freak out, but it's a comforting thing to tell S when she freaks out. Everybody has or has had or will have a child, literally (well, almost literally). If there is one thing people can do well, it's have babies. Our entire evolution, our entire being, essentially boils down to this. Parents do not constitute a very exclusive club, and if everybody else can do it, then so can we.
In Bill Bryson's terrific book A Short History of Nearly Everything, the author comes to the general conclusion that the only discernible meaning of life is to propagate -- to create more life. Unless you're religious, that's pretty much all there is to it -- keep your species going -- which probably explains why so many people are religious. It's pretty unsettling to think that all we are is a widget in a self-perpetuating system that's completely pointless outside of itself. But, if there is more to it than this, it's lost on me.
[This book is great. I highly recommend it. I recommend Bill Bryson in general. "In a Sunburned Country" is great also.]
Alright, I think that's it for this entry. I'm short on time, because I spent the past two days doing work around the house. I hate work around the house. In fact, I hate work of any preposition the house -- around the house, on the house, in the house, about the house -- it all sucks, but sometimes you have to do it. We bought a lawn mower, and I cut the grass yesterday. It's an old-school motorless mower, which is perfect for our smallish yard. It works well, it's ecofriendly, and you get a decent workout. Also, we finally had time to finish painting the room we started a few weeks ago. I think it's going to turn out a-ok.
Well, until next time...
well that's one positive way your life will change. In about 10 years it'll only cost you $2 a week to get your lawn mown.
ReplyDelete