I just returned from a baby shower here in Manhattan. After 4 hours of conversations with moms and moms-to-be and wanna-be-moms before their clock stops ticking, I am now, more than ever, aware that all of us women are searching for the same things. This Sunday afternoon outing has validated that my time and life energy devoted to writing this book, “The Greatest Job on Earth: Extraordinary Parenting” was extremely well-spent. For some of us, writing a book means that you place yourself in a bubble, you cut off from the world, you go into a quiet, still place where you can listen to the message inside of you, then you spend an inordinate amount of hours putting all of this data down on paper (or laptop ) in a logical, funny, non-boring, exciting, dynamic, intelligent yet easy-to-understand, sequential, and original way. Piece of cake, right? As a result of this long, arduous process, some of us writers may find that we have lost touch with this population that we have been so busy writing for. Being out of NYC for almost all of the last 2 years, being away from other humans for long periods of time, traveling to a different foreign country every month for the last year, has made me so hungry to hear once again what people’s everyday life experiences are. Fortunately, what I am hearing at all of the birthday gatherings, house warming parties, baby showers and social events since I have been back is the same as what I have been hearing for the last 25 years when I was spending every day as a Therapist and Acupuncturist. Nothing has changed. The need is still the same, and the message I am delivering is still completely addressing our needs as humans. Whew! So glad the world didn’t change while I was away. Of course, I would prefer for all of these challenges to have evaporated in my absence, however I would be pretty bummed if I had wasted the last 2 years of my life!
Listening to these women today at the baby shower grapple for answers of what to do when their 3-year-old gets so angry and tries to poke his mom right in the eyes, or what to do when their 3-month-old just doesn’t want to sleep - EVER, or what to do if Mr Right never comes along and no one chooses them to be their wife and they never get a baby of their own, or how to deal with the reality that she is 42 and the fertility treatments are still not working after 2 years and she has been paying out of pocket since the insurance policy ran out months ago makes me acutely aware of how incredibly difficult life can be. We all need to search for the places and people that help guide us through these times, decisions, and life events. It’s a very good feeling to know that you have devoted your whole life to a particular thing and you’ve actually figured out a few things. You wake up one day and you realize that you have the exact tools that these other people are looking for. The more you hear what others are needing, the more you realize how well you know this particular thing. I am extremely hopeful that “The Greatest Job on Earth” will serve those individuals who are searching for the answers to the latest challenge that life has thrown at them. I am also grateful for all of the years of reading what others have to say about all of these things and look forward to passing on these amazing sources of inspiration and practical answers to life to others.