appreciating what you have...

The travel week for me in Las Vegas was particularly hard for Tamar since she had to handle both kids the entire time. It’s grueling and since Erez hasn’t yet mastered the art of sleeping through the night, it’s very, very draining.

I know that some of the times when I am on my own and am totally worn down, I don’t always step back and appreciate my situation. It’s hard and you’re tired.

On the way back from Vegas, I spoke with a woman who was very open with me about her situation. She’s 38 years old and there’s no significant other in her life. She really wants to have 2 children and she knows that time is running out on her. She is nervous about going to a sperm donor bank thinking that “the upper echelons of society aren’t your pool of donors.” She has some male friends who might be willing to assist, but she’s very clear about the role she wants from the father in her kids’ lives…basically none. She’s concerned that anyone who is willing to father a child is going to want some level of involvement.

We brainstormed for a while…what about terminally ill patients with no kids? (Maybe, but what does the fact that a person has cancer say about genetic markers?)

What about a legal contract that stipulates exactly what she wants and see who is willing to participate? (Ok, but how do you find those people—there’s got to be a website, right?)

She had a very interesting idea. A friend of her mother’s is 78, never been married, and no kids. He’s got everything she wants from an intellectual, morals, outlook perspective, but how do you begin a conversation asking someone to be a donor for her, she wondered?

It’s clear she’s struggling with this issue. It made me recommit to not taking anything for granted.