when all else fails....

spin. or knit.

(or attempt both at the same time and fail miserably forcing me to choose one over the other.)

This has been a very long week - it started with the silly time change* and a great weekend by the ocean, and today ended with a new baby entering the world. The time in between those events - it's all a blur.

[* the time change means that I now have to get up in the dark, as opposed to starting my day with natural light. This makes me grumpier than grumpy. ]

This week I started a family practice rotation and am seeing both outpatients and inpatients; I've spent time in this office before and it's wonderful to see some of the same patients again. (Patient continuity is one of the key reasons I like primary care.) This afternoon's delivery was the first one I've done in a long time, and the doctor standing nearby let me do it all - as in, my hands were the ones that brought the little one into the world.

Words can't describe what it's like to guide a little, moldable head through the birth canal, and helping tissues stretch and controlling the last few pushes before the head is born is a balance - the mom is pushing with all her might to get! the! baby! out! and I apply pressure to the area so that the pushes are controlled and supported. At the time it looks almost cruel to hold back the advancement of the head but (I think) it's worth it to eliminate the need for tearing or cutting.

I forgot how much I love obstetrics.

Yesterday was the Ides of March - a significant day for me, as it marked five years since my life was (literally) turned upside down. I was run off the road on the Mass Turnpike and am still figuring out what lessons the accident taught me. My physical body feels the best it has in the past five years and with any luck I'll be able to get back into a yoga routine so I can re-learn what it's like to push myself to my limits and then return to center. The accident is one of the most significant events of my life, but it's also not the only event that has led me down a different path. I think about it often, but have learned that dwelling doesn't help.

Needless to say, I am passionate about seatbelts being worn, buckled and fitting properly.

I'm also in the process of buying a house - not just any house, but one that means a great deal to me. The bank paperwork is almost done and once everything is lined up, it will move quickly. This is the right thing for me right now and once things are (further) underway, I can open my heart to whichever cats walk in.

While at Cate's last week I spent some quality time with her Lendrum wheel. After a rocky start, I found a groove and had a hard time pulling myself away from it. This led to an online search, which led to finding a used (majorly discounted) Lendrum at Woodland Wool Works, which led to a large box being delivered this week. Last night I set it up and experimented - it doesn't feel quite the same as it did at Cate's, but it feels wonderful to be spinning again. (Robin being in Boston and Lyle the Louet being in Rhode Island added to the reasoning for getting this wheel.)

If you (or anyone you know) are interesting in spinning and want to borrow a wheel (to see if you'd like it) let me know and I'll figure out how to get Lyle Louet to you.

(yes, I'm serious.)

My mind is all over the place right now - it's full of things I should have done, things I need to do and things that I'd previously forgotten about. The snow is starting to fall and I have the place to myself tonight....after a crazy day of seeing patients, driving to the hospital and back to the office (a few times), being at the delivery and trying to get everything else to line up, I think a little quality knitting and spinning time is just what the doctor ordered.