30 Days of Quotes About Life ~ Day 10 ~ Albert Einstein

Day 10 ~

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” 

~ Albert Einstein


Einstein.

Yes.

Frankly, with the body of work he produced and with as many famous quotes that are attributed to him, I'm a bit surprised that it took nine other quotes to get to him.

The man was, for lack of a better word, a genius. An eccentric one, no less.

This quote is one that I adore for the same reason I adore so much of his work - it represents the simple beauty of pure observation.

The most obvious example of this holding true in life is something I'm fairly experienced with - childbirth.

I've had four of my own children, this is true, but their births aren't the ones I am talking about here today for the simple fact that it's impossible to be a true observer to the births of your own children as a mother. You are a participant, not someone who can sit back and take it all in.

I always encourage women in particular, but men as well, to witness a birth if they haven't before.

It is, without hesitation, the most amazing thing in the world to see.

Having studied embryology and anatomy and physiology, I can certainly explain the mechanics of conception, of labor, of delivery. I could detail the complex physiological processes that must occur in a very short period of time after birth, where the baby must go from being wholly dependent to wholly independent. The baby has to spontaneously start breathing, clear fluid from it's lungs and figure it all out in a hurry.

As a doula, I have seen plenty of babies born. It doesn't matter how many more I see. It will always be amazing.

There is always that moment of hushed silence in the room, where time stands still and everyone holds their breath and waits. Always.

I can explain it all, I can tell you how it happens, I know all the science behind it. It's cells and responses and instinct.

It's all those things. It's easy to talk about it objectively until you're in that place. Watching. Waiting. Holding your breath.

And then it's a miracle all over again.

Every. Single. Time.