The Dangers of Obsessing about Babies while Jogging

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I realized last night that my partner and I can barely watch a full thirty minute episode of a favorite TV show -- in this case, Nurse Jackie, without one of us expressing a concern containing the phrase "What if?" about some aspect of the process. When did we transform into these weirdly obsessive people? And really, if we're unable to have children, we'll be exactly who we are now -- and that's not cause for alarm or a nervous breakdown, right?

 I was jogging this morning, which I should mention is usually a zen-like activity for me, and found that my mind was as un-zen-like as it could possibly be. All at once I was calculating the cost of fertility drugs, worrying about the temperature of our water tank (I just read that to baby-proof one's house, the water tank has to be set to 120 degrees or less), and wondering if the YMCA has a prenatal yoga program.  It's a wonder I didn't run into a car or the side of a house!

I always knew that parents, by definition, are in a constant state of worry, for some even panic, but I hadn't realized that the worrying starts with just an idea of a child of one's own.

A famous Zen proverb is “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” I could do well to follow this advice. It'll save me from having to wear a helmet while jogging.