{"id":224,"date":"2015-05-31T11:23:01","date_gmt":"2015-05-31T18:23:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tidbitsandtantrums.com\/?p=224"},"modified":"2015-05-31T11:25:43","modified_gmt":"2015-05-31T18:25:43","slug":"rude-awakening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tidbitsandtantrums.com\/?p=224","title":{"rendered":"Rude Awakening"},"content":{"rendered":"

What a rude awakening!<\/p>\n

I went to bed shortly after eleven, exhausted from a full day of activity, and fell asleep immediately.\u00a0 At\u00a0twelve-thirty\u00a0I woke up with a start…what the hell is that smell<\/em>?!\u00a0 SKUNK!\u00a0 It didn\u2019t seem to bother my husband at all (with his CPAP machine quietly humming), nor our puppy, who was snoring softly.\u00a0How could they possibly sleep with this horrific stench wafting in through the open window?! <\/em>I scooched \"Looney<\/a> my way out of bed and tiptoed past the puppy on my way down the stairs.\u00a0 Here I sit in my chair, in front of the computer, afraid to sleep for fear my tired body will succumb to the smell\u00a0I\u2019ll never wake up from!\u00a0 (I don\u2019t even know if that is possible, but I did say I was exhausted and not thinking clearly.)<\/p>\n

It just occurred to me that a lot of things \u201cbother\u201d me lately.<\/p>\n

For example, last Monday was Memorial Day.\u00a0 Poor Rachel Held Evans<\/strong>, a gifted Christian author that I\u2019ve admired for several years, penned a Facebook comment prefacing an article about her feelings regarding Memorial Day.\u00a0 I enjoy Rachel\u2019s common sense approach to religious and spiritual issues, but in our household, this day is as sacred as any religious holiday, as we remember the military members that paid the ultimate price (their lives) for the freedoms we have in America.\u00a0 Our family comes from a long line of service members, past and present who have fought in conflicts\/wars at home and abroad.\u00a0 We will sometimes get together for a picnic, or perhaps attend a memorial service within the community, but believe me when I say at the very least<\/em> we proudly fly every flag we own as a sign of respect for the fallen heroes this special day commemorates. You could probably see all our flags from outer space, and we are proud of it.<\/p>\n

That day, specifically, I took umbrage with a comment she made about having a personal dilemma \u201cpraying for military members during church services\u201d because of her pacifist leanings.\u00a0 Let me add in her defense, she also<\/em> said she had been working through the issue to a logical end, which was to pray for the person, not the \u201cmilitary\u201d per se.\u00a0 It was her opinion, her<\/u> blog, after all.<\/em> She can say whatever she wants! But did I move on after appreciating her honesty and transparency?\u00a0 No of course not. \u00a0I wrote a lengthy (but respectful) comment in the space provided. I didn’t need to do that, but I did feel compelled<\/strong>.\u00a0 Withholding prayer from our deserving military?\u00a0 That’s just wrong<\/em>!<\/p>\n

The entire week has been like that. \u00a0Someone will say or do something that doesn\u2019t sit well with me, and I respond with a verbal or written dissertation \u00a0(always respectful, of course, ’cause that’s who I am) of my displeasure or disagreement.<\/p>\n

Most of you know I am a retired midwife.\u00a0 I am militant<\/em> about babies, children and mothers, specifically their health, but also their happiness and safety.\u00a0Always have been, always will be.\u00a0 I recently learned of a new reality TV show on TLC called \u201cLabor Games<\/strong>\u201d.\u00a0 Expectant parents try to win prizes by answering trivia questions while\u00a0 mom, dad and television crew are all in the labor room together\u00a0(you can\u2019t make this crap up!).\u00a0 The\u00a0producers even keeps the viewing audience up to speed on the strength and regularity of the woman\u2019s contractions as she and her partner answer childbirth and child-rearing question for cash and prizes.<\/p>\n

What about personal privacy? \u00a0What about germs?<\/em> \u00a0What about good common sense<\/em>?\"Labor<\/a><\/p>\n

Nothing about this concept is acceptable to me from a nursing point of view. \u00a0Excess stimulation and\u00a0 stressors impede labor, increase pain, and promote a need for meds resulting in additional concern for the baby (all meds effect the baby to some degree).\u00a0 Even mothers that opt for epidural analgesia (allowing her to be in less pain and appropriately\u00a0\u201ccamera ready\u201d) run the risk of slowing down labor, which\u00a0can be\u00a0tough on the yet-to-be-born.\u00a0 More nursing responsibilities ensue (more paperwork, monitoring\u00a0and possible intervention, additional liability for the hospital, more outside exposure to pathogens brought into the area, more stress on physicians, etcetera,\u2026you get the picture.\u00a0 In a nutshell, this unusual form of entertainment\u00a0is a \u201ctrain-wreck in the making\u201d?\u00a0As if\u00a0any given\u00a0day on Labor and Delivery isn’t hectic enough?!<\/em><\/p>\n

Birth\u00a0is truly one of the most sacred\u00a0events in a woman\u2019s life, but this venture reduces\u00a0the process\u00a0to a game show!\u00a0\u00a0I do admit, rarely do things go “wrong” (complications) during labor and birth, but when they do<\/em>, it often happens in an instant.\u00a0Because of this fact,\u00a0I\u00a0 felt compelled to write a respectful comment to the channel, clearly expressing my feelings.\u00a0 I never did receive a response from them (as yet), but I still stand by my comments.\u00a0 It is my opinion that labor (and birth) are for the families involved, not the viewing public.<\/em> Keep the games and prizes for the baby shower, please!<\/p>\n

From there, it\u00a0was like I was on a mission<\/em>, responding to\u00a0 every injustice and wrong-doing!<\/p>\n

There was that fellow that kicked his kitty into a blazing fire pit and walked away scot-free from all legal prosecution,<\/p>\n

… and the \u201cfather\u201d and \u201cson\u201d duo in Penna. that was forced to adopt <\/em>one another because gay marriage was illegal, who married after 54 years of loving together.<\/p>\n

…and the well-known comedian who lived with OCD and germ phobia for decades, was hypnotized on a show and \u201ccured\u201d by a hypnotist, creating doubt within the viewing public that his\/their ailments are real mental health issues.<\/em><\/p>\n

…and \u00a0<\/em>the news that live anthrax (!!) <\/em>was \u201cinadvertently\u201d shipped to nine states (how is that even possible<\/em>?)\u2026and the list goes on and on and on ad nauseam.<\/p>\n

I am clearly (and in all truth and humbleness) not<\/u> an expert in anything<\/strong>, but I had strong opinions for just about everything that crossed my desk, was printed in the paper or had the audacity to be repeated on television! Many of those opinions found their way into emails, blogs or telephone calls, mostly because no one else<\/em> seemed to really feel strongly one way or another, I reckoned.<\/p>\n

Was I being too sensitive,\u00a0irrational, or just plain over-acting to those events? \u00a0Possibly, but what was it that made me feel I needed to add my two cents, as if my opinion matters one way or another<\/em>?\u00a0I thought about it long and hard.<\/p>\n

I responded to Rachel\u2019s comments because I am passionate about our brave military members (some are family members) that follow orders and have faith in the chain of command not to lead them into a hopeless conflict. \u00a0As a Christian, I believe we should not \u201cqualify\u201d who we pray for—we should pray for everybody,<\/em> even our enemies.\u00a0 God knows, we all need guidance and all the help we can get.<\/p>\n

I responded to the concept of a game show filmed during labor because I am passionate about the practice of Midwifery and Nursing,\u00a0professions that protect the young and vulnerable as well as the family unit; a service career that is committed to the concept of \u201cin all things to do no harm\u201d.\u00a0 The birth of a child is also the birth of a family, the process of which I see as absolutely sacred<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I responded to the situation of the comedian that was duped into being hypnotized (by an novice\u00a0entertainer trying to win a spot on the show) because like the comedian, I also feel it diminished\u00a0and dismissed his struggle with the pain and\u00a0the challenges of his illness\u00a0merely to increase television ratings.\u00a0 Patients and clients all over the country are asking their therapists if they still<\/em> need to take their required meds when such a “easy fix” is\u00a0an option.\u00a0 They also ask\u00a0and for the telephone number of a good hypnotist.\u00a0 Hasn\u2019t mental health disorders been relegated to the dark and misinformed for too long already?<\/p>\n

I responded with joy to the news that a gay couple is finally <\/em>able to get married, but then I felt frustration and irritation that two adults whose only \u201ccrime\u201d was that they shared the same gender, were forced to live a lie for over fifty-four years!<\/p>\n

Perhaps, I may have over-reacted a bit by responding to the story of the guy who got away with torturing a cat, but my years associated with mental health services\u00a0encourages me to postulate that most sociopaths and mass murderers started their careers by torturing the family pet. If we don’t learn from our mistakes of “under-reporting”, than we are doomed to repeat them, which never turns out well<\/p>\n

Mailing live anthrax…<\/em> by mistake<\/em>??\u00a0 C\u2019mon, folks!\u00a0 That\u2019s just wrong!<\/em>\u00a0 This entire screw-up goes beyond an “oops” moment!\u00a0 Where did\u00a0the “glitch” in the safety procedures (developed to catch\u00a0such a error) falter?\u00a0 Just imagine the devastation if the product was delivered to the wrong person! \u00a0Yeah, like that would ever happen, eh<\/em>?<\/p>\n

If you see or hear faulty reasoning or injustice in the world, and don\u2019t reply in some way, your silence becomes compliance.<\/p>\n

Remember Martin Niemoller (1892-1984)<\/strong>, the Protestant minister whose infamous quote about the Nazis quest to conquer the world realistically\u00a0parallels the logical result of a public\u2019s\u00a0apathy:<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst they came for the Socialists, and I didn\u2019t speak out because I was not a Socialist. <\/em>Then they came for the trade Unionists, and I didn\u2019t speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist.\u00a0 <\/em>Then they came for the Jews, and I didn\u2019t speak out because I am not a Jew.\u00a0 <\/em>Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n

You do not have to be an authority on a topic to respond to a statement or situation that doesn\u2019t sit well with you. <\/em>It doesn\u2019t matter if people agree with you or not, as your opinion is as valid as theirs<\/strong>. <\/em>The fact that you are clearly engaged with your world enough to have<\/em> an opinion is what truly matters.<\/p>\n

Be respectful and humble in your response.\u00a0 If you are proven wrong, accept constructive criticism and learn from your mistakes. \u00a0In some situations there is no right or wrong, only “personal opinion”.\u00a0 We all have them.\u00a0 Exercise your right to share yours.\u00a0 Pretty much common sense, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n

(Yawn<\/em>) I guess such “clarity of thought” means I still have all my faculties.\u00a0 The odor of the polecat has dissipated enough for me to try to squeeze a few hours of sleep out of this disappearing night.\u00a0 Perhaps I should sneak back up the stairs\u00a0before the sun comes up to annoy me.<\/em>\u00a0 Regardless, I don’t mess with the Almighty and His purposeful\u00a0reasoning, bowing to His expertise even when it doesn’t sit well with me!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What a rude awakening! I went to bed shortly after eleven, exhausted from a full day of activity, and fell asleep immediately.\u00a0 At\u00a0twelve-thirty\u00a0I woke up with a start…what the hell is that smell?!\u00a0 SKUNK!\u00a0 It didn\u2019t seem to bother my…
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