I need to slow down.

We are back from our camping trip to Jasper, it was great :) The dog had a great time trying to play with the Elk that walked through our campsite on an almost daily basis. We did a bit of hiking, and a quite a bit of driving to get to the hiking spots and viewpoints. On one of these drives, I noticed something that relates (kind of) to a major difference between homebirth and hospital birth, and made me understand a little bit more about our society in general.

In our culture, it is not the journey that is important, but what you get to at the end. What a terrible way to live. On on our drive up to Edith Cavell Mountain, Justin was driving about 30-40 km/hour (on a winding, narrow, mountain road) and looking at the awe-inspiring scenery around us. We had 4 different vehicles come up behind us, and tailgate until Justin pulled over to let them pass. These cars/SUV's were all going 60+ (dangerous, if you ask me, given the condition of the road), trying to get to the top of the mountain as quickly as possible, to see the view. They missed some of the most amazing sights by rushing through.

I think having a baby in a hospital is kind of the same thing. We are so focused on the desired outcome (healthy baby, of course) of this pregnancy/birth thing, that we don't take the time/energy to experience this as a whole event (pregnancy itself, the labour experience, birth, and a healthy baby). By having a caregiver like a midwife, it focuses the energy more on the experience itself I think.

So once again, I have learned (as I have many times already) that it is not always the destination that is important, but how you get there. How many times do I need to relearn this before I put it into practice in my daily life, instead of always rushing around, trying to get things done. I guess I should just slow down, and not be in a hurry all the time. This is probably the best start.