Thankful for: a definition of marriage that includes my relationship

I love being married.  It's even, oddly, more fun than living together for 5 years monogamously.  Really!  I read a quote once from Scarlett Johansson (of all people, cue the sheepish embarrassment!) reflecting on how marriage gives you a "home" in a another person.  It's hard to describe why that really captures it for me, but in Eric, I have unconditional acceptance, a constant source of entertainment, a person to take risks with, and a live-in cheerleader.  I am complete, anywhere I go, because he is always with me.  It's such a privilege that our heterosexual relationship is recognized by the state and the world as right and normal and a healthy way to have a family.  I'm sad that other couples that feel the way we do must be relegated to a lesser 'civil union' (if they're lucky enough to live in a progressive state!).  I know how fortunate we are, and I'm very thankful for my marriage.

Thankful for: mamas!

Oh man, becoming a parent has been the most wonderful experience of my life. It has given me new appreciation for my own parents, of course, but today (Mother's Day), I'm also feeling love for the wonderful mamas that raised the people I love most.  Jenny, Susan, Beverly, Lolly, Jane, Margaret, Harriet and Lisa are quirky, smart, beautiful and accomplished in so many ways.  I'm tremendously grateful (there aren't words, really) for the sacrifices my own mother made in raising my sister and I, but I am also fortunate to have had a abundance of wonderful mothers in my life over the years.  Each one is inspirational to me. Yay for mamas!

Thankful for: breastfeeding

Feeding Hazel the old-fashioned way has been such a pleasant surprise.  I was afraid I'd feel limited by it, trapped and glued to my baby 24/7... and well, I practically am (less and less so as she gets older, though).  But no one could have explained how good it would make me feel to snuggle in with my soft and sweet babe several times a day.  Nursing has been a huge confidence-booster, and has helped me see myself as a competent mama.  I also believe it is the healthiest way of feeding a babe, especially in a country with potable water issues.  Hazel is so very healthy, and I'm so thankful that nursing has been part of our journey.

Thankful for: a safe delivery

Though I tried not to think about it too much at the time, I was quite scared to deliver our first baby in an foreign environment (not being able to communicate with the nurses, not knowing what to expect, and so on).  Luckily, Hazel's debut was a pretty smooth event, thanks to the rockstar generosity and compassion of our lovely obstetrician, Dr. Kuo.  I am thankful every day that I was able to have the natural birth I wanted and that all of us weathered the experience so well.  Thanks Dr. Kuo, for being so accommodating of our many, many requests.  We felt very well cared for. (Move to the top of the to-do list: take Hazel to visit Dr. Kuo).

Thankful for: bicycling to work

It sounds silly, I suppose, after discussing our terrible accident.  But I'm feeling thankful for lots of minor things too- like our very walkable/bikeable neighborhood in Kaohsiung.  I've ridden in to work and back nearly every day since  we moved here (save for months 5-9 in my pregnancy when I walked due to the guilt trip the pregnant bicycling lady received).  I'm thankful that we've been able to get by without a car, that we can walk to food and shopping and the MRT, and that I get to start each work day with a peaceful ride in balmy weather (and then I have to gear up for the commute home each day, in which I feel like the frog in Frogger.. but that is fun, too!).  I'm thankful for my awesome Bianchi bike from the Sandwich dump, my talented bicycle mechanic husband, and for living close enough to school that biking isn't a huge athletic endeavor.  I'm a lucky girl.

Thankful for: good samaritans and blind luck after a motorcycle wreck in India

There was a scooter crash outside our apartment last night, and though it doesn't take much to remind me of our motorcycle crash in India last year (we both have plenty o' scars), I was struck by how improbable our minimal injuries were.  Perhaps a massive 2nd degree burn, a nasty traumatic tissue injury, and enough road rash for a lifetime don't sound minimal, but given the insanity of Indian highways and our craptastic Royal Enfield motorcycle, it simply makes no sense that both of us lived to tell about it.  (I should say: we were wearing helmets, but they didn't seem to be great quality.  They did the job, though.).

So, I'm thankful for the the quick-thinking driver that managed to avoid hitting my body as I tumbled across the road, the wonderfully kind man that took us to the hospital, and that both of our myriad injuries were, in the grand scheme of things, minor.  

Insert clever title here

Since Hazel's birth I've been feeling particularly reflective about the abundance of blessings/luck in our lives. Now that we know we'll be leaving Taiwan for good on June 14th (back to the sweet green pastures of Sturgis Charter School on Cape Cod!) I wanted to create a record of some of the many wonderful aspects of living here and all the great happenings in our lives over the past 2 years. Let's see how this goes.