Breast-Friends...

Good Morning America had a segment on "cross nursing" which is breast-feeding your friends or families babies. Not looking to make my judgment as of now, but honoring my initial knee-jerk reaction which is, "Hmmmm, this might be a little beyond my realm of comfort bordering on weird." As if I'm one to talk and be a noter of "weird", I think this topic warrants some good dialogue. So prior to putting out judgments, but acknowledging our initial reactions, let's just put some facts, arguments for or against out there, basically let's have some fun with this and intellectually grapple for a moment.

Totally Functional Vs. Relationship
If you look at breast feeding as a matter of function or in my sister's words, viewing "boobs as bottles" it would really be a matter of your children's friends "eating over at your house." It would boil down to smashed peas, carrots or breast milk? However, if you look at it in a relationship or attachment perspective, it feels like a really intimate experience with your baby that doesn't warrent sharing with others.

Health Concerns
The Le' Leche league doesn't support cross nursing due to the unknown disease and health risks associated with another mother's milk. Diseases such: HIV, TB, Hepatitis among others. They recommend if a mother can't breast feed but would like her babe to have breast milk, to obtain the resource from a "milk bank" where the milk is screened prior to distribution.

Bonding but not Sexual
Though the feeding is associated with "breasts", breast feeding is not a sexual act. Our society tends to sexual acts that simply arn't sexual in the orgasmic sense. Breast feeding is the natural form of feeding babies. Cross nursers feel a bond with the friends they share their breasts with.

With some of this initial information, what are you thoughts, reactions, facts?

An Argument FOR the Valentine's Argument

As I have been listening to NPR, reading various blogs both small and big, and having conversations with people, the arguments,"I don't do Valentine's because we should show love everyday" and "it has turned into a commercialized holiday" have come up too often to not make note.

With the grocery stores being more and more efficient (if that's what you can call it) by having the next holiday's affairs set-up the first possible day (even if the holiday is two months away) I can see the everyone's point. Who wants to feel like their days of celebration are being reduced down to nothing more than cardboad wrapped chocolates, cheap flower bouquets and singing cards? However, this holiday exploitation is happening with EVERY holiday, not just valentines. Take Christmas for example. If the same argument aforementioned applies, shouldn't we choose to NOT celebrate it because we should be celebrating Christ year-round? What about the 4th of July? Shouldn't we showing our patriotism year-round?

Singling out Valentines Day seems silly to me when looking at the big picture and I'd be curious to hear the justifications and arguments as to why we can celebrate one holiday vs. another. Why not take a day to celebrate love? It's what makes the world go round right? When taking to the symbolism of holidays, we have New Beginnings/Fresh Starts, LOVE, Resurrection, Independence/Patriotism, Scary Tradition, Gratitude and Christ. Why is love getting singled out amidst all of these other values?

I think the bigger argument is really missed here. The commercialization and exploitation of the holidays. Don't boycot the holiday, boycot the commercialization. Maybe what I should really be saying is... give love a chance! --@DP

The Art of Boredom

The art of boredom is nothing more than the ability to occupy your mind and being while in the midst of a seemingly dry moment. When I used to encounter people who would say, "I am so bored" or "last night was so boring" I used think, "well I bet that is because you are boring and need to broaden yourself, your thoughts, increase your skills of observation...and you are probably well...high maintenance." My belief is this, there are those moments in life where you could technically be "bored", I honor and recognize those moments, but it's what we do in those moments that count. Move from being entertained dependent to entertainment independent. While at an event look at everyone's buttons on their shirts or locate small details on a wardrobe, at home pick up a book you haven't read in a while, find recipes, or delight in researching how to get your whites their whitest, sit and think about the galaxy or plan your next fabulous party. There is so much out there just waiting to be snatched up...Boredom is an art and their is an artist in us all :)--@DP

Blogging Rights

Just a thought...blogging is a really unique place in the sense that people comfortably and freely share of their successes, things they have created, new thoughts and victories. You don't often see this in day-to-day interaction because it may come across as arrogance, self-absorbtion, etc. But the blogosphere is the one place where you can have bragging rights...I mean blogging rights!--@DP

Broadening the Definition of Pornography

The infamous Bachelor has come and gone. Bevin went out and Tessa moved in. For those of you watch the bachelor you might have noticed it has somewhat of an addictive lure to it. One that is enticing NOT because of the hot and steamy sex scenes but the unobtainable romance that you see week after week. Is pornography limited to only unrealistic, inappropriate sex? I don't think so. If you look at pornography, ultimately it steals the hearts of "men" away from their wives and families and gives them an unrealistic impression of what sex is, should be and ultimately could be...but they are not getting it in THEIR house. Sexual pornography doesn't show you the times when it's not "blow-out orgasmic sex", when it's just mundane or quick or simply at matter of function to create. Isn't Hollywood romance somewhat like that? We are shown the highlights of a relationship without being shown the lulls, the arguments, the communication glitches, the time when the guy actually DOES forget to call, etc. It has the ability to pull your heart away from your husband, and places an unrealistic expectation within a relationship of what is should be, and ultimately could be. The camera's role 24 hours a day for a week and we see what they want us to see, to create this fairytale fantasy. I am not sure that pornography is limited to only sexual...I believe "pornography" is anything that distorts your perception of reality and pulls your heart away from whom it is committed to.

Just Believe

When was the last time where you really believed in someone? Not just believed in their day-to-day ongoings, where it's easy to believe and your neck is far from being out on the line but really taking a chance at believing in the underdog even if it was at the expense of your dreams, your hopes, your trust, your faith...your neck? Don't you find that it's easy to believe in those who give you reason to believe, that actually also believe in themselves? Is that really belief or merely observing the observable trait in someone who has figured out the world enough to have a bundle of successes under their belt. What about those who don't give you many reasons at all; that don't have the odds of success in their favor and you go through disappointment after disappointment with the occasional success, yet you notice this small spark that may grow into a blaze if it's given just the right amount of stoking? Where is your neck then? Is it on the line or safely tucked away until the ratio of gains to losses improves? When was the last time you really believed in someone and carried their belief when they had very little...because that is the belief I want to have in my own life to show towards another. To answer my own questions? It's been far too long.