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-- Wyn L.--
“The essence of a woman is becoming and experiencing motherhood.”
I have heard this cliché countless of times when I think of a pregnant woman transforming into a mother. Having been assigned in the delivery room for the past 2 weeks, I believe in the cliché as well as I doubt it. The very “essence of a woman” is complex and vast. It will take a lifetime to decipher its true value.
Life is certainly a miracle. I have witnessed a lot of deliveries and it made me realize that miracles do happen. From the time I handled and held the baby’s head to suctioning the infant’s airway. It was beautiful… and bloody. It was priceless to catch a glimpse of the mother’s face when imparted of the baby’s sex and condition. It was opposite of the labor process where they undergo great sacrifices of pain (God knows how much it actually hurts) and high level of anxiety and fear. It saddens me to know that there is nothing I can do to relieve such pain other than back rubs and teach breathing exercises. Cutting the cord and delivering the placenta made it more diverse to comprehend that there are such structures inside the female body to aid in the supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients towards the fetus. That is the beauty of life lying in front of me in the delivery room with the sound of a first cry makes me feel its symphony.
Life is certainly a tragedy. It is never a sure deal to deliver a healthy child. Sometimes, there are those that are unfortunate. I have taken for the first time a preterm infant (of about 28 weeks) that its quality is beyond potential despite the immaturity of its splendor. I was afraid to take hold of him. He was so fragile. I delivered him directly to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I assisted an Umbilical Vein Catheterization where it is similar to an Intravenous insertion since the peripheral vein of an infant is difficult to locate. I was hoping against hope that the infant would survive only to find he died the next day.
Life is beautiful. It tells and shows us all the downfall and climax but sometimes, we fail to comprehend the single appreciation and proposition it tells us.
With just one breath.
With just one cry.
With just one look.
Life is beautiful.
** Rich C. **
She walks with confidence, wearing her Carolina Herrera dress, Christian Louboutin pumps and Hermes bag. Her necklace is made of pearl beads and her bracelet is worth not less than a thousand bucks. Truly, she is the icon of fashion and elegance in our workplace. I describe her as a certified head-turner. She just knows how to catch attention from everyone.
Her expensive taste makes the people’s brow rise, making her the center of ostracism and the topic of a lunch break chat. She is tagged as a wannabe, because even if her expensive jeans do not fit her saggy butt structure, still she wears them without second thoughts. Sometimes, she wears short dresses exposing her legs full of dark scars of all sizes but still she is able to carry them with grace. The people ridicule her materialistic looks. In one of those lunch break chats, I heard how the people criticized her concept of wealth based on how she dresses. They said that she only perceives the value of wealth in her branded choices of clothes.
I just wondered how stressful those people are every time they talk about her and thought of how I smile every time I see her. Because in her, I see a girl who was deprived of childhood happiness. She was a sidewalk vendor who walked to the next town, without an umbrella to protect her from the biting heat of the sun. She was the girl who wore a pair of old rubber slippers full of stitches since she could not afford to buy a new pair. In her, I see a girl who set aside her envy when she sees her cousin’s new and expensive clothes since she was never bought anything brand new.
She is an orphan and her story is not different from that of a typical abused child left in the custody of an abusive relative. However, what makes her peculiar is her positive view of life. That optimism made her pursue her education and fulfill her promise to live a happy life.
She is not my friend but I know her story because I tried to know her before I gave my own judgment. The scars on her legs, her leathery skin – they tell of her sad childhood.
Her expensive choice of items is just a representation what she has achieved. It is a symbol of her wealth, in her own terms. Funny how most people associate wealth with something tangible when in fact things get old, damaged and out of style.
What I saw and others did not was that her “wealth” was not in the clothes she wore of the shoes she donned. It was in the happiness she attained when wearing those things she used to dream about. Her wealth was in the victory of overcoming the overwhelming obstacle of harsh poverty. Her wealth was in her success.
.. Xtine ..
At some point in our lives, we drown in a negative work attitude. Before letting yourself sink in the wave, think about what has caused that negativity. It may be you. Or perhaps, you are merely the victim. Regardless, a negative work environment, for sure, hampers one’s productivity.
First of all, you have to learn to recognize negativity as an issue to be tackled. Negativity takes away our focus – its effects are tangible. Recognize that negativity is detrimental to you and your work. Considering that negativity is an issue to be tackled, you must also understand that it is something which can be overcome. But the only person who can overcome it is you. It does not matter whether you are the instigator or the target – it is your responsibility to do so.
So what can you do to ease away from the negativity? For one, you can “be a duck”. What does this mean? It means that just because some people are being negative, you have to be, as well. Do not let other people dictate your actions and your emotions. Take a closer look at the duck. Notice how they have the ability to feel rain without getting wet?
Another option is to explore new heights. One thing that leads to negativity is stagnation. Growth creates positivism. Thus, learn new things, explore new options. Do whatever it takes just to ease off of the heavy, negative air.