Posted by John on August 09, 2001 at 07:37:35:
In Reply to: On breast feeding, tropical fish and horses. posted by kat on August 08, 2001 at 23:34:58:
: NO I'm not talking about breastfeeding tropical fish and horses!
: I had some comments on breastfeeding since this is an area where I may have more experience than some of you.
: I think it's interesting that so many women have trouble with breastfeeding as I did the first time. Like Bill said about our society being pre-packed and all, I think we get used to that microwave, and the intimacy that is required is intimidating not to mention the fact that you have ato be available at any time your child needs you. Sure you can pump and all that fun stuff(easier said than done by the way.)but you are sacrificing your personal space and freedom to some extent in that you can get anyone to give your baby a bottle but the mother is really the only one that
: can breast feed her baby.
: However, breast feeding for me only got better with each child. I did it for longer with each baby, Patrick, i was able to feed for 8 months, before he decided he wanted to be more independant, It was really a sad thing for me, I really enjoyed it and missed it when it was gone. Anyway now that all the men have gone on to other messages--- : )
: It's funny but my experience with tropical fish preceded the birth of my last child. I had a small tank of fish I had and Anglefish and some catfish and those kind that suck on the side of the tank(I can't remember their name.) I also went to the little pond behind my house and had got some snails. I had a really clean tank! I enjoyed taking care of them, but i knew I wouldn't have the time to do it when I had my baby so I sold the fish back to the store where I got them.
: i had a really bad experience one night when I got into a big fight with my ex-husband and he ended up smashing the tank by pushing it off the counter, the fish were everywhere and I was terrified they were going to die. i picked them up and put them in clean water and prayed they would live, i loved them so. All this while I'm big and pregnant. The next morning, i was sitting outside the pet store when it opened so I could buy a new tank and save my fish. i bought and even bigger tank than I had before and they all lived, i got a companion for my angelfish while I was at it and they turned out more beautiful than I could imagine. I hated giving them up.
: Oh yeah, did I mention I like horses, doesn't anybody else out there like horses?
WEll, I will refrain from comment on the breast feeding thing for obvious reasons... other than to say I think it is good.
As for fish the sucker is called a plecosthemus, or pleco. It's amazing how we can become so attached to such simple things. I remember I used to have this tiny little redwood tree that I sprouted from seeds. It was only like two inches tall and looked alot like a bean sprout, but I loved that little plant like nothing I have ever had. At one point when I was depressed and looking for any ray of light in all the bleakness I even wrote a sort of love poem to it... nothing romantic, but a sort of prayer to the plant to live and be strong. It eventually died and I was very sad. Fortunately it lived through my years of depression so I didn't end up slitting my wrists over it. Funny how God gives us those sorts of things. I also remember a time, actually it was the night that would turn out to be the first time Kathy and I dated, but I saw a tiny yellow flower growing right out of a crack in this vast asphault parking lot. It was the only thing growing there. Again I found myself talking mentally to the flower, or praying as it were, for its survival and feeling really connected to it because of the way it stood streching to God even though it was so tiny and in such a harsh place. I am certain that it was growing there just for me to see at that particularly crucial moment that I didn't even see coming.
On a subject more related to fish, I recently found myself refusing to fish with my family because they were using live bait. That has never happened to me. If any of you know me well, you may know what I mean, but I totally surprised myself. I just couldn't yank that little fish out of the water and pierce his back with a hook only to dangle him in front of a bigger fish until he died. It just kept reminding me of crucifixtion or some other sort of public painful execution. I couldn't even use the live shrimp, which are basically like crickets from the ocean. I was totally loathe to inflict that pain. This may seem stupid to most of you since alot of you are pretty progressive in your views of animal rights and all, but remember that I am a naturalist, and I come from long lines of outdoorsmen who hunt and fish. I accept and understand the harshness of the natural world. And bait fishing was never an issue for me. I guess I"m just gaining a deeper understanding of life and its connectivity. I'm heading the way of John Muir and Thoreau. I'm starting to actually feel moral conviction about the sanctity of even the lowest level of nervous system development. I didn't plan this, it's just happening. I'm learning to live with a reverence for all that is given up for me to survive.