We are still on this wild stay-at-home ride with no end in sight. After having such a hard time conceiving, I thought maybe pregnancy and birth would have some level of normalcy. It’s funny when the universe (and I believe this baby) has different plans. I’m trying to go with the flow and most days that works out. I honestly get very little done each day though. I am not a person who has tons of energy and is motivated to be productive during normal times. So add in pregnancy and a pandemic and I am pretty much just getting the bare minimum done. And that is ok! I think it’s important for people to understand that in times of stress there are those who take action and become super productive and there are others who slow down significantly and sometimes even shut down. We all cope differently and I don’t think this is the time to expect people to come out of this with a new hobby, job, project, etc. In addition to the stress of having no idea what the future looks like, there is also the heaviness of grief. We are all grieving the life we knew and had planned for ourselves. My baby shower this weekend has turned into a drive by the front of our house, I haven’t gotten to hug my mom or see the rest of my family for some time now and I’m guessing mom and baby groups and yoga classes are out once she gets here. I trust we are forging a new path that will have benefits we haven’t even considered yet and I also allow myself to feel sad about what I am missing. I will soon be birthing a baby but we are also collectively birthing a new way of being. I don’t know what it looks like but until we emerge you can find me in some version of the image below. Be gentle with yourself friends, we have never done this before.