3MN: Lessons learned from putting water in a birthing tub.
Happy 3-Minute Thursday!
💬 In the next 3 minutes:
- When you want to be in hot water.
- What you do in the world means something.
- The role fear plays in your life.
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💧 Minute 1 - Hot water in the birthing tub.
We had a home birth with our first child. Darian (my wife) did everything entirely naturally. She is a warrior. It was my job to prepare what I like to call the birthing hot tub. It's like an inflatable pool that fits in your living room. As I was running around getting things prepped, I had two primary thoughts going through my head.
- I’ve never been closer to God than in this holy moment.
- I’m going to be the hero of the story, and I’m going to tell everybody how awesome I was at getting things ready.
That is until it was time for Darian to move into the pool.
After filling it to the brim, I shouted that things were prepared for delivery. The doula, shuffling along with my very pregnant wife, asked what the water temperature was, and I proudly told her a whopping 75°.
That is a refreshing temperature if you’re sitting out by the pool in the heart of summer with a cold drink in your hand. It is not an appropriate temperature if you are giving birth. Nobody told me you’re supposed to put hot water in the pool.
In a panic, I scooped out water from every pot and pan I owned and brought the water to boiling heat on our stove before returning it to the pool. All this is happening while Darian is frantically telling me to hurry so she can give birth in the pool in the middle of our living room. It was at that moment that I had two thoughts.
- This was the closest to God I would ever be because my wife was about to kill me.
- Darian is the story's hero, and I have to stick by it through and through.
Absolute chaos.
✨ Minute 2 - What we do in the world means something.
Musician Nick Cave on the power of small actions:
"The everyday human gesture is always a heartbeat away from the miraculous. Remember that ultimately we make things happen through our actions, way beyond our understanding or intention; that our seemingly small ordinary human acts have untold consequences; that what we do in this world means something; that we are not nothing; and that our most quotidian human actions by their nature burst the seams of our intent and spill meaningfully and radically through time and space, changing everything. Our deeds, no matter how insignificant they may feel, are replete with meaning, and of vast consequence, and that they constantly impact upon the unfolding story of the world, whether we know it or not."
Source: The Red Hand Files, Issue #216 (lightly edited for clarity)
😱 Minute 3 - What role does fear play in your life?
In A Story on Purpose, I liken fear to an unwelcome passenger in the car of your life. Some days, it rides shotgun; on others, it's hidden in the trunk. The key is that you can never entirely kick fear out of the car, but you must ensure it never seizes control of the steering wheel!
- What role does fear play in your life? When do you feel the most fear? Stop. Write it down. You'll thank me later.
- If you could eliminate fear from your life, what would be different? Stop. Write it down. You'll thank me later.
VERSE OF THE WEEK 🔥
T L I M L A M S; W S I F? T L I T S O M L; O W S I B A?
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
Until next week,
Payton Minzenmayer
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