We had almost no equipment when our son was born. We moved to London when I was six months pregnant and even though it was clearly only a matter of time before there would be a baby, we had nothing. Leaving my beloved one-bedroom on the Upper West Side of Manhattan was an exercise in minimalism. Except for a Jennifer Convertible couch, I owned next to nothing.
Read MoreLately I’ve been thinking about how we learn to take care of ourselves. The word “resilience” is being reexamined for its message. Is it a compliment to be told how strong you are or is it something else? My own experience with endurance could probably be distilled to how I gave birth. My son stood up in the final days after being head down for nine months. The decision was made to turn the baby in the womb so, hopefully, a caesarian could be avoided.
Read MoreI think the library saved my life. I sat on the floor looking at books about nudist colonies filled with black-and-white pictures of naked people in sneakers, playing volleyball, practicing archery, grilling hamburgers, and generally being naked, which I found bizarre but also helpful since there were no boys in our family and my father was not a naked person ever. Also, I read all of Jane Austen, Dickens, the Brontes, Louisa May Alcott, piles and piles of books.
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