Today’s guest blogger is Jenny Rough. We’ve gotten to know Jenny a bit while working on our upcoming workshops and pop-up exhibit in Washington, D.C. and are looking forward to meeting her there next month!
Elizabeth
What is your first fertile memory?
A friend of mine asked me that question, and I spent a few moments in silence. I thought back as far as I could.
Sunflowers.
The day I stood among the sunflowers in a garden by the side of our house. The sunflowers had grown even taller than me, just as my mom had said they would when we planted the tiny seeds. I was four years old.
It’s fascinating to me to hear how others answer that same question. Last month, I asked the women in the Living Childfree support group I host through RESOLVE. One woman recalled a summer night and a backyard full of fireflies. Another woman remembered a hike through a rainforest. Her family was an “indoor” family, so every twist and turn on the adventure brought a new surprise and engaged her senses.
On May 15, when the ART of IF’s pop-up exhibit is in Washington, D.C., I’ll be holding a workshop on journaling your fertility journey. One of the writing exercises will be to spend five minutes writing about fertile memories.
How about you? What is your first fertile memory? Please email me at jenny.rough [at] jennyrough.com, or post a comment here and share. I’d love to hear about it!
Jenny Rough is a writer who lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Every summer, she hikes out the sunflower fields near her home. Visit her on the web at jennyrough.com.
My first fertile memory was also around the age of four and it’s of a refrigerator magnet that my mother received, I believe from the doctor’s office, after finding out she was pregnant with my youngest sister. It was an illustrated vignette of women at various stages of young mother hood, some pregnant, some rocking babies. The light was soft and they were all wearing long, flowing, white nightgowns. It was like a view into this little club that I imagined, expected even, I would be a part of someday. I still might be a member of the motherhood club one day but, due to infertility, it certainly will look differently than I imagined in that moment, or even a few years ago.
Thanks for sharing Elizabeth. Isn’t it amazing how we understood from such a young age that we would grow up and have babies? I remember understanding that for as long as I can remember. Your comment also reminded me of when my mom was pregnant with my younger brother. She used to balance a mug of tea on her belly.