Reality comes in the form of a sweet little baby. I found that I loved motherhood. I had read so much about baby care, prenatal care, postnatal care and early childhood education that it was great to put all that knowledge to the test. I had the luxury of being home, not working, and being inventive enough to find ways to live to the fullest without much money.
First came food. To find really good quality food was not easy in the early 80's. The food coop was the center of my life for many years just out of necessity. At least the people that were involved were of like mind and spirit, and there were no real hassles. Coordination and cooperation just happened, at least from my point of view. I learned a lot about how to help without having attachments. It worked out. It was convenient that the coop shed where the food was delivered, broken down by order and picked up was close by. Brown rice, huge wheels of cheese, gallons of unfiltered apple juice, spices, herbs, bulk teas, medicinals, and of course fresh tofu that I could now make myself. We even had a go at honey bees with hives- too messy for me.
Next came fun. I started going to the YWCA for an exercise class after my daughter was born. I took her with me and the instructor noticed. She asked if I would consider teaching a class for mothers and babies and that is how my baby class was started. It was very popular and wound up getting us a story in the newspaper. I still have the very cute photo of my happy baby daughter cradled in a swing position. The moms got to talk to other moms, got a little exercise, and learned how to hold and touch their baby while having fun. I like to think that the combination of baby massage, therapeutic positioning and movement and spatial exploration that I combined in my class contributed to the development of physical, mental and emotional intelligence in my children- they all are well endowed.
My neighbor also had a new baby son and we walked and walked with our babies on our backs in Snugglies. I never owned a baby carrier- they are vile things. Carrying a baby on your back so they can see really stimulates development of spatial awareness. They are also close to your own body, and so they feel secure. Yes- I loved every minute of all that. Life was pretty simple. The neighborhood was interesting and no one had much of anything material, but there was always music and laughter. It was so easy to be happy in Macon.
I just finished reading Gregg Allman's autobiography and it brought back so many memories. In terms of my own survival, I was lucky to arrive in Macon after the gold rush.
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