I was flattered when Lauren from Embracing the Detour asked me to share the story of my life’s big detour. The detour that began one Friday morning when, wearing my Madonna-in-concert headset and on a conference call about recruiting plans for the next year, I glanced down at a pregnancy test and saw two pink lines. I did a double take, finished my sentence about how we should hire more engineers, and then stared at the test, mouth agape in full-blown shock.
That morning changed everything. Everything about my life but, more importantly, everything about how I see myself and, fundamentally, who I am.
Please go read my story here. And please stay a while to explore Lauren’s wonderful blog about her own detour. She inspires me with her commitment to enjoying the journey even as she heads towards a destination that is generally though not specifically clear. Thanks, Lauren, for hosting my words today. It is an honor.
People say that the blogosphere is too rah rah, that commenters are too effusive with their praise. But I can’t help it. You inspire effusiveness. I love your blog, your perspective, your word smithery, and your honesty. And thank you so much for YOUR kind words and even more for your beautiful and relevant post on ETD today. It’s so nice to find a kindred spirit in these bloggy marshes.
A wonderful story of one of life’s most joyful surprises.
Thanks for sharing your honest, moving essay. You’re right that there’s “always a reason to wait” to have children. Thank goodness for that vast design!
I loved your essay. It was moving and really touched on the surprising and rewarding aspects of parenting.
And, even when you DO plan on having a baby, aren’t the pink lines ALWAYS a surprise?
I really appreciate this chrystaline evocation, it’s your poetry and humanity that bring me comfort in the interconnectedness, the wondrous and the malleable shape of our arguably magical lives—individual and collective.
That’s way the bestest asnwre so far!