WOMAN

As i was rushing to work today i encountered a woman giving birth on the street..
That kind of thing stops you dead in your tracks and for five minutes i just could not move or think or do anything..
i just stared..both hands on my cheeks..eyes wild with horror.

I tried to think of something to do...help to give..but i was frozen..
fortunately for that woman...there were lots of women around her helping her with the birthing process..

Then i remembered my own labor process..
It was a clean room in an uptown hospital
with a handful of doctors and nurses at hand...
and here she was..on the dirty street floor...
fighting for her life and that of her child...
i was horrified and then i grew very mad...
that should not happen..not in 2010!!

But then again i asked myself...
what if?
A baby does not give the time when she/he will be making her debut in the world
if she/he decides on the roadside...in the car as your heading to hospital
what do you do? no time for CS..ur too far to make it...
what do you do?
you pray for grace and do the needful..
your babys life depends on this ..
and you may be fortunate to have help around
either way..you have no choice...

We may blame her for not knowing early enough to go to hospital in advance
but with a baby sometimes..you never know...until its time..
its called being a woman.

Then theres another group of women...
those older women who were not afraid to dig in and help
this woman in need
those who threw their handbags aside and knelt on the hard concrete
and played doctor...and in the end delivered her child
theres something inspiring about that kind of courage
steely courage..that delves into danger head-first...
i want to be that kind of woman...

So when you see a woman abused, misused...
tell them about the sacrifices she makes to give life...

God bless women.