I can't wait to be 60 and retire, travel.... and have babies??

So I thought I'd way in on the latest in-vitro debate. I thought I had heard it all when I read about that Californian woman who gave birth to octuplets, in addition to her already six children. But my vision of freedom 55 sure took a nose dive when I heard about the 60 year old lady who just had twins after journeying to India for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Talk about outsourcing - you can travel to India for IVF, to the Phillipines for a kidney.......I'm guessing to a latin country for a heart? But thats beside the point...

My point is if your ICU bed is booked for post-op recovery after your c-section, then you might just be too old to have kids. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but I'm wondering what these kids are going to do if their mom dies when their 15, which is not that far off as she would then be the ripe old age of 75. Is it too harsh to say that if there's 2 generations between you and your kids, you should have thought about getting a dog instead? The other controversial arm in this debate, is the fact that Canadian tax payers are paying for the after care of a patient who payed for initial treatment out of country - a treatment that is not legal in this country as the cut-off age of IVF in Canada is between 45-50 years of age.

I can't imagine how hard it would be to want children so badly in life, and then to have miscarriage after miscarriage. My heart goes out to this lady, it really does. But this is where ethics comes in, to make sure to do no harm and act in favor of the greater good and not to support individualistic desires. But I'll go out on an optimistic note in saying that there are many young parents who are unfit, so my feeling is that there are many older parents who are awesome, loving mothers and fathers. :)

Illusions

" I read somewhere about a family who had only one son. They were very poor. This son was extremely precious to them, and the only thing that mattered to his family was that he bring them some financial support and prestige. Then he was thrown from a horse and cripppled. It seemed like the end of their lives. Two weeks after that, the army came into the village and took away all the healthy, strong men to fight in the war, and this young man was allowed to stay behind and take care of his family.

Life is like that. We don't know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don't know. "

- Pema Chodron

Ode to Valentine's Day

As I was pondering this Valetine's day while on my computer this morning, I came across the picture before you. I'll have you know... I wasn't the only pervert who took this shot. But I shall leave him/her in anonymity.

I started to reflect on what our expectations of this day are. What is it that people want from this day? - gushy hallmark cards, Godiva chocolates, trip to the spa, romantic dinner with our significant other. And if this day didn't meet our expectations, would we feel resentful, unloved and unappreciated. I'm not sure what the answer is. But I'd like everyone on this Valentine's day, to try and put aside their human brain and its large neocortex. And take in the simplistic message of our reptilian friends, and " be grateful if you are getting any at all. "

- Love and Kindness

She wondered what life would bring
Uncertainty draping like a veil showers the shoulders of a young bride
Awestruck by the many forks in the road
Wondering if life would just throw her a frickin' spoon
Events of the past lure her back into the fog of illusion
Clouding the only true gift she has
A tremendous red bow engulfing the now
Awaiting to unravel the tie that binds her
From her life
Destiny... here I am