birthdays

so there i was standing in line at starbucks this morning after my water aerobics class. it's become a one-day a week indulgence i look forward to after working my butt off in the water...my venti, non-fat chai. nothing more, nothing less. nothing added, no special flavors. no wimpy size tall. have you seen that? what is that? why bother? it's like two sips and you're done. i ask, what's the point? is it for the dainty amongst us? that wouldn't be me. if i'm going to pay for a drink, i want a drink to drink. something that will last me....something hearty. so i go all out and opt for the venti size. at starbucks it's the largest you can get!

in front of me was a woman who was ordering, uh-huhummm....a tall white mocha and of course, she was just a petite little thing and then turned my way and by gosh, was also pregnant. the lady on the other side of me just couldn't contain her delight at this turn of events and gushing said, "oh my, when are you due?" it was evident pregnant lady had but a few months to go and she confirmed it by replying, "oh, in april." they then proceeded to chat it up about pregnancy and kiddos to which i zoned out completely until i heard them talking about actual dates, birth dates. and i started to wonder about the whole planning process of birth; taking it into our own hands...removing the excitement and surprise of it. because here's the thing, she knew down to the last detail when she was going to give birth to her baby - date, time, hospital, room number, doctor, nurse, aides, janitors, (okay, maybe some of this i'm making up) as well as the sex....a little girl, her name - which i missed, doggone it! no surprise, no drama. that obviously works for her and she admitted that the pregnancy itself was enough of a surprise. but i can't help pondering, does it remove an element of the whole miracle of birth: the awe, the delight, the joy?

happy day.....