I am half hope

If it’s not obvious by now, I like to write. When I was little I would make books at home… I’d cut the paper, staple the book together, and fill in the pages with words and pictures, and an adult would have to translate my sloppy words and letters into coherent sentences. Later, in my elementary school we had the opportunity to have our little creations printed and bound. The covers of the books were cardstock wrapped in scraps of wallpaper or contact paper… I wonder now which unfortunate teacher, school staff member, or PTA member had to patiently cut and wrap those covers. Yikes. Thank you to that person for helping my eight-year-old-self bring a “published” book home to share with Mom and Dad. Which reminds me — I believe there are several stacks of those books at my parents’ house… Sorry, Mom and Dad. I did move most of my stuff out here, but I do think my collected works are still living at your place.

However, with all of that said, I consider myself a reader first and foremost, not a writer. I read novels mostly, but during my infertility journey I have read numerous books, blogs, and other articles about infertility, and more recently pregnancy loss. Today I want to share three of the resources that have spoken to me during my journey. When thinking about what to write on my own blog, it occurred to me that sometimes someone else’s writing was just right for me, and just what I needed… I figure that the best way I can acknowledge their work and pay it forward is to just share the links (and maybe a few thoughts I had about it too. I do like to write after all). So without further ado, here are three links for today’s recommended reading:

5 Surprisingly Outdated Problems Infertile Couples Face
This is one of the best posts I have read about infertility. It’s spot on, and as a bonus, I think it’s hilarious. Even the picture captions make me laugh. This is one of the few posts that I have read and re-read. And re-read again. So I won’t even try to sum it up. Please read it.

My Facebook Timeline Lies
This is a great post about how there’s much more going on behind the scenes than what we share with the world. This writer opens up about her facebook posts and what was really happening in her life when the pictures were taken. For a long time I have felt like my facebook timeline was similar. To the world it looked like I was travelling, going to concerts, working on our house, and basically living a carefree life, but behind the scenes things were not as great as they seemed… facebook doesn’t tell the whole story. We never know what someone else might be going through.

Therapists’ Top Tips for Coping with Fertility Problems
This is one of those “well intentioned lists written by professionals” that I mentioned in my about me page. It’s not a post that I felt an emotional connection to, but I do think it gives a nice, general overview of coping tips and issues facing people with infertility.

Note: I have created a Resources page to list in one place all of the resources that I share in my blog posts. Check that page out to see the full list to date. You can also click on “Select Category” under the Topics heading and select “Resources” to see all of the posts I have made that include resources.