Reflections from a mother-to-be

Dear little one,

You will be out into the world in approximately half a month...

I thought about how best to "prepare" you for this world in the last 8 months. I have been reading a lot of parenting books, restricting my unhealthy cravings and exercising so you can be healthy in my womb, playing Mozart to calm you and your brain for whatever it's worth, and just reflecting on this journey upcoming for us, on what is means to be your mother in this life.

I am slowly coming to the realization that there will not be adequate "preparation" for this journey you are about to embark on in this outside confusing place called "the world". You will just come, with some or all the senses you will be blessed with, you will see the world for all its colours and contrasting darkness, hear the world for all its beauty and coexisting injustice, smell the world's grace and parallel poverty, touch the hearts of lives in your path and beyond, and speak the truth of love loud and bold. I hope that despite the contradictions this world will reveal to you, you will come to discover a light so bright that you cannot help but to embrace, consume, become, reflect and have it be overflown.

As I was finishing Jonathan Haidt's book "Codding of the American Mind", a passage he quoted from John Robert's commencement speech at his son's graduation ceremony stood out to me, and this I wish to share with you: 

"From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice. I hope that you will suffer betrayal, because that will teach you the importance of loyalty. Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted. I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life, and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either. And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. I hope you’ll be ignored so that you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion. Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see the message in your misfortunes."

Dear little one, I truly look forward to our journey together. I already love you, thank you for teaching me a little more of that.

- Your mom (...we'll have time to figure out what that means together)