Birth: All Or Nothing

25/5/2019

It’s my birthday today. I’m turning 21. And I’m also opening a blog. Yay. I’ve been planning to open a blog for a long time. And I always hoped that my first blog post would be perfectly structured, well phrased and meticulously edited with lots of glossy photos and deep content. But sometimes, beginnings can be messy. Just ask anyone who’s ever witnessed childbirth. Fortunately or unfortunately, as a medical student, I have had the privilege of witnessing several deliveries. And you can be sure that it’s messy. Yet absolutely beautiful.

It’s passionate. It’s intense. It’s nothing you expect, yet everything you expected at the same time. The mothers are often in their most dishevelled state. No make-up. No fancy hair. Just raw pain. Which gives way to pure joy.

Today is my birthday. And in many ways, I feel like I’m in a labor room. Because it’s messy. Painful. Intense. Yet utterly beautiful. That’s why I decided to write this post despite the fact that I feel totally unprepared. With 26 minutes left to midnight, I almost postponed doing this until a more ‘opportune time’. However, I changed my mind and decided to write something. I decided to begin. Not because I’m ready, but because my time has come. Babies don’t get to choose when they enter the world. They don’t get to decide when they’re ready. The simple reality is that when their time comes, it happens.

In this new season, I am determined to be completely authentic. When I love, I will love recklessly. When I give, I will give selflessly. When I grieve, I will feel everything. When I fail, I’ll rise up with every ounce of energy I have left. I am determined to live fully. To give all or nothing. Not because I am guaranteed of success but because I have been granted life. And this is an opportunity that I cannot afford to waste.

As I begin, I feel like God is telling me these words which I shall now graciously relate to every person reading this post:

Welcome to the journey. It’s a messy start, I know. But believe me, it will get better if you care to stick around.

-RR🌸